Fabrice Bregier new Chairman of Airbus Corporate Foundation Board

During its last Board of Directors meeting on 17th December, the Airbus Corporate Foundation appointed Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO, as its new Chairman of the Board, succeeding Tom Enders, CEO of EADS, who headed the Foundation since its creation in 2008 and who has been appointed Honorary Chairman of the Foundation.

“I am thrilled to take over this great mission to head the Airbus Corporate Foundation. I will continue to work hand in hand with our Airbus employees as well as with our partner airlines and organisations in order to take the Foundation further”, said Fabrice Brégier. “With a strong footing on the Foundation’s humanitarian and environmental objectives, the organisation will now focus more on local initiatives in Airbus home countries, especially ones that help young people from difficult areas”.

Social responsibility coupled with a greater will to take care of the environment has been at the heart of Airbus’ business activities for a long time. From its beginning, the Airbus Corporate Foundation’s Board of Directors secured the support of international external members who brought in experience and know-how in their respective fields of expertise.

The Airbus Corporate Foundation aims at facilitating charitable activities worldwide within an international network of employees and partners by focussing its support on three themes: Humanitarian and community support, Youth development and the Environment.
The first theme of the Foundation is to provide aid and relief in cases of natural disaster and reaching out to develop local communities where Airbus is present. Airbus has built up a global network of airlines and relief organisations to support international humanitarian aid missions such as transporting food and goods to areas of need on aircraft being delivered to customer airlines. Since its launch, the Airbus Corporate Foundation has facilitated 30 relief flights to numerous destinations all over the globe.

Projects to inspire youth launched through the Airbus Foundation have successfully run in Airbus’ home four countries and around the globe, reaching over 30,000 young people over the last four to five years. The “Flying Challenge” – programme that supports high school students from underprivileged neighbourhoods in completing their scholastic studies – was successfully rolled out in Toulouse and the US and will be expanded to the UK, Spain and Germany in 2013.

In the field of Environment, the Foundation focuses on protecting, improving and increasing awareness of the environment, and supporting projects with a particular focus on biodiversity. In 2010, the Foundation launched a Biodiversity Program enabling selected Airbus employees to make a significant difference in the environment and the lives of a local Indian community and upon their return, closer to home, to share their unique experience with their managers and colleagues as well as with local youth. In 2011, the Foundation also launched local projects to increase biodiversity awareness among youth in France, Spain, the UK and Germany in local communities.