Mr. Balducchi has served as a member of our board since September 2024. Mr. Balducchi has experience in operational, financial and managerial roles within the aerospace and land defense technology industries in both Europe and North America. Since September 2021, Mr. Balducchi has served as the Group CFO of KNDS, one of Europe's leading land defense systems providers.
Previously, Mr. Balducchi played a central role in creating Airbus Canada, established in 2018 out of a partnership between aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace, the Canadian province of Quebec, and Airbus. As CEO of the company, he led the transformation of the commercially highly successful A220 program, with the launch of a new final assembly line in the US and a reshaped industrial setup.
After starting his professional career in 1988 with the American chip manufacturer Harris Semiconductor, Mr. Balducchi held senior financial positions at Matra defense unit before joining Airbus in 2001. There, he held the positions of CFO of Airbus North America, Head of Investor Relations for Airbus Group, and Head of Performance Management for the Airbus Commercial Aircraft division until he became CEO of Airbus Canada in 2018. Mr. Balducchi holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from École nationale de l'aviation civile (ENAC) and a Master of Business Administration degree from École des hautes études commerciales de Paris (HEC) Paris.
Daniel is a Lilium co-founder and has served as Lilium’s Chief Engineer for Innovation and Future Programs since October 2022 and an Executive Director of our board since September 2021. Daniel previously served as Lilium’s Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Wiegand holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Technische Universität München.