Ukrainian-American becomes Airbus chief tech officer

European aerospace and defense corporation Airbus Group SE has appointed Ukrainian-American Paul Eremenko as its new chief technology officer.

Eremenko, 36, currently heads the company’s Innovation Center in San Jose, California, and will start his work as chief technology officer at Airbus on July 1.

“We are operating in a fast-changing environment where speed, data, breakthrough technologies and connectivity are hugely relevant trends for the future of the aerospace industry,” Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders said on July 7. “Eremenko has all the right credentials in high-tech and (aero) industry to lead Airbus technologies into the future.”

On May 29, 2015, Eremenko was named the founding CEO of Airbus Group Silicon Valley technology and business innovation center. He was responsible for establishing Airbus’s Silicon Valley presence. ©The Verge

Eremenko will be focusing on establishing the role of the new post of chief technology officer, and working with other divisions and recently appointed Airbus Digital Transformation Officer Marc Fontaine.

Born in Kharkiv, Eremenko moved to the United States at the age of 13. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master’s in Aeronautics from Caltech, and then a law degree from Georgetown University.

Eremenko is a former Google executive and head of Google’s Project Ara. He also worked at U.S. multinational telecommunications company Motorola and the Pentagon’s research agency DARPA.

Eremenko was named one of the Top-10 Tech Leaders of 2015 in Fortune Magazine.

Airbus Group is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2015, the group – comprising Airbus, Airbus Defence and Space, and Airbus Helicopters – generated revenues of € 64.5 billion and employed around 136,600 people.