Chief Executive Officer, High Value Manufacturing Catapult
Katherine Bennett is CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, where she leads the organisation in driving industrial transformation through innovation. A strong advocate for UK industrial capability, she is a board member of the European Association of Research and Technology Associations and the Aerospace Growth Partnership and has worked with national partners on the Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board to support communities and workers through the move towards low-carbon steelmaking.
Katherine chairs the Advisory Council for the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste, established in association with Exeter University and the Pennon Group to research the challenges facing the water sector in the UK. She also chaired Western Gateway Pan Regional Partnership for four years and served on the Levelling Up Advisory Council chaired by Andy Haldane. Katherine has worked extensively in manufacturing, with 16 years at Airbus, latterly leading UK strategy and corporate affairs. She was also head of policy and public affairs for General Motors (Vauxhall) in the UK.
Her passion for diversity in engineering and manufacturing led to her founding the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter. In 2019, she was awarded a CBE for her contribution to aerospace and aviation. She holds honorary doctorates from Cranfield University and UWE Bristol.
Katherine Bennett CBE HonFREng