Tamara Blanco, Airbus: Go for it!

Growing up in a small town in north-western Spain, Tamara Blanco never imagined that she would become a composites expert in a world-leading company like Airbus. Motivated by an excellent chemistry teacher at high school, she decided to study chemical engineering at the University of Santiago de Compostela.

“Today, I can say that it was the best choice, because it opened the doors to a professional life which I really love.”

After graduating, Tamara moved to Madrid and started a one-year internship as a quality engineer with aerospace company CESA (now Héroux Devtek Spain). This was her first contact with the aviation industry and she wanted to learn more. This opportunity came when she began to work as a subcontractor in the Composite Materials and Processes (M&P) Department at Airbus.

“I very soon learnt that I had found my place. I wanted to be part of this professional family and develop as an Airbus materials engineer in this amazing company, and I was going to put all my effort into it.”

There were some challenges at the start, she notes.

“This was 20 years ago and I was one of the first subcontractors in the M&P Department and at that time rules for collaborating with subcontractors were not fully defined. I had to show my added value, being proactive, but above all by connecting and collaborating with people.”

While working as a subcontractor for Airbus, Tamara studied for a master’s degree in polymeric and elastomeric materials in the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

“This also guided me a lot in my professional path. In fact, today I am also a teacher in several master’s degrees.”

In 2005, soon after finishing her studies, she was hired directly by Airbus and continued to work in the M&P department.

Vision and passion

In her early career at Airbus, Tamara is proud to have qualified materials for the A380 and A350 aircraft. This allowed her to build links with transnational, multidisciplinary internal and external teams, as well as to take responsibility for creating value in her operations and deliveries. But her natural curiosity soon led to more involvement in research and technology projects, looking for new technologies from a composite materials perspective.

“For more than 10 years I have mainly focused on research and technology of composite materials and processes. This gives me the opportunity to innovate, learn, and have fun every day! But above all, it gives me the opportunity to lead diverse people and complex projects with challenging targets.”

She lists her nomination as an Airbus expert in multifunctional composites in 2019 as one of her greatest professional achievements to date.

“Multifunctional composites are not only my field of expertise, they are also my vision and passion. As an expert, my duty is not only to have a vision but also to make that vision happen. Can you imagine an aircraft made of composite materials which can offer other functionalities, apart from the structural one? For example, a cabin or a fuselage made of composites that can conduct electricity or store energy. I am also very involved in, and leading, composite sustainability initiatives to reduce the environmental footprint of our composite technologies.”

Tamara wants to continue to evolve as a composites expert and technical leader, with a focus on sustainability and clean aviation.

“We have great challenges in front of us to lead our sector’s decarbonisation to reach net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. Sustainable and multifunctional composites will be key for this and enablers for next generation hybrid electrical, SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) and/or hydrogen propelled aircraft. I am fully committed to this by leading key projects to develop, for example, composite recycling or reuse solutions for production and end-of-life waste, as well as recyclable thermoset composite resins, composite materials and parts with lower carbon footprint, and optimised composites for liquid hydrogen tanks.”

She also continues to build her leadership experience, both within Airbus and in her role as president of SAMPE (Society of Material and Process Engineering) IBÉRICA (the Spanish and Portuguese section of SAMPE Europe), as well as supporting and participating in other local or European composite associations.

Diversity is always positive

Tamara’s experience as a woman in the aerospace industry has been good.

“I am in a special situation because in the M&P Department in Airbus Spain there used to be, and continues to be, a high number of women. In the past, I remember attending some meetings with other departments where I was the only woman, but this has changed a lot since 20 years ago. Diversity is always positive and adds value. I fully support diverse and inclusive work environments, which attract the best talent. Perhaps the only issue I can mention, that could be related to being a woman, is that it took too much time for me to reach the expert level. I did not get the opportunity until there was more focus on really offering women more opportunities in high-level positions.”

Throughout her career Tamara counted on the support and mentoring of Airbus composites executive expert Jose Sánchez Gómez, whom she worked closely with until his retirement in 2021. She was also inspired by Grazia Vittadini, CTO of Airbus from 2018 to 2021.

“She was the first woman on the Airbus Executive Committee. She served as the Director of the Airbus Foundation Board and as a member of the Inclusion and Diversity Steering Committee. I really respect her professional philosophy and open mindset.”

Promoting diversity and inclusion and encouraging young people to enter the aerospace materials field is an important focus for Tamara. As part of her teaching activities, she talks to students about her own experience and encourages women to pursue their interests.

“I always tell them to go for it! It is a very motivating area, it’s worthwhile, and I really enjoy my job. Composite materials are enablers for many products, and in my case they are an enabler for aircraft that connect people, that connect the world. It is so encouraging and I am really proud of this.”

She also gives talks in schools to inspire girls, and boys, to study science and engineering degrees.

“I have achieved a dream that I could not even imagine as a child. I now have two young children and I love it when they see an aircraft and ask me if I contributed to build it. Now my dream is to fly with my family in an aircraft whose structure is no longer simply a structure but much more than that, and for which the environmental impact of flying is no longer a question!”