Airbus Group lends its support to Qatar’s largest maritime security conference

Airbus Group has confirmed that it will be an official participant at the 2016 Qatar Maritime Security – Coastal and Border Surveillance Conference (QMARSEC).

Edwin Pittomvils, Senior Vice President and Head of Security Solutions for Airbus Defense and Space, an acknowledged leader in the defense industry, will join the roster as keynote speaker.

The involvement of Airbus Group, Europe’s number one aerospace and defense company, further cements the position of QMARSEC as the indispensable opportunity for leaders of regional and international militaries to gather, learn and share ideas about the future of maritime security.

Edwin Pittomvils joined Airbus Defence and Space in 2013. He now serves as Senior Vice President and Head of Security Solutions. Integrated Systems provides C4ISR systems, solutions, and associated services to Government and Military users (border security, critical national infrastructure and coastal surveillance).

Before joining Airbus Defence and Space, Pittomvils served in executive, business development and operational leadership positions in a wide range of industries, including micro-electronics (Slivar-Lisco and Calay), land and space telecommunication (SaitRadioHolland), the elevator industry (ThyssenKrupp) and the building automation industry (Honeywell).

Pittomvils holds a Master Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Leuven (Belgium) where he specialized in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence.

QMARSEC 2016 is Qatar’s Largest Maritime Security Conference and promises to be one of the highlights of the year, attracting delegates from all over the world to engage in discussions on the theme ‘The Future of Automatic Identification System (AIS) Technologies and the Use of Unmanned Systems for Maritime Domain Awareness’.

“On behalf of Airbus Defence and Space, it’s an honor to be invited to present this keynote address at QMARSEC 2016,” said Pittomvils. “It will be a thrill to share our perspectives of the future challenges and opportunities with delegates, and to discuss how we can cooperate to address our mutual security needs and highlight our commitment to Qatar.”

The Conference host, Staff Brigadier (Pilot) Mohammed A. AL-Mannai – Director, Qatar National Security Shield Project – said: “QMARSEC 2016 will be very successful thanks to Airbus Group and Mr. Pittomvils’s active participation.” “We are also excited by the level of support Airbus Group is lending this forum by facilitating his involvement. I know that delegates will be very eager to hear his unique views.”