Nancy Barber had no idea she would be breaking glass ceilings when she enrolled in the Recreation and Leisure Studies program at the University of Waterloo in 1994.
But she soared to remarkable career heights in the male-dominated aviation industry, becoming the first female chief operating officer at Bombardier, a storied Canadian manufacturer of business jets.
Barber (BA ’98, Recreation and Leisure Studies) just recently left that position to start her own consulting company that is focused on sustainable aviation and advanced air mobility, a segment of the aviation industry that could become the future of urban transportation.
Her impact was recognized last year, when she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and also received the Elsie Award for Business from the Northern Lights Aero Foundation in recognition of her contributions to aviation and aerospace in Canada.
Executive suites
Her initial goal in recreation and leisure studies was to get into the management side of the travel and hospitality business. That changed after she got a summer internship position at Bombardier, a company where her father worked as an engineer. She loved the job and after she graduated, the company offered her a permanent position. Over the course of the next 22 years, she advanced up the career ladder, eventually landing in the executive suites.
Barber says as a young woman, she never thought of herself as breaking glass ceilings. “I just always spoke my mind and felt very well respected,” she says.
As she advanced, she had to get used to often being the only woman in the room. There are power struggles, and it is always extremely competitive in the executive ranks of a large corporation, Barber says. But she adds that she was lucky to be in a company with leaders who provided a lot of support and encouraged diversity.
As chief operating officer, she was responsible for the manufacturing operations. “We produced the Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft platforms. I was responsible for five factories in Wichita, Kansas, Toronto and Montreal that produced about 150 aircraft a year,” Barber says. “There were 7,000 employees building aircraft within my organization. We were responsible for building, testing and delivering the aircraft to the customers.”
Growth trajectory
The company was on a growth trajectory. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It significantly affected the entire aviation industry, including Bombardier.
“We had just introduced the Global 7500 aircraft and in the first year of my role as chief operating officer, we were highly focused on getting that aircraft into stable production. But then, when March 2020 hit, it was unbelievable,” Barber says. “We reacted very quickly, suspending production for several weeks to ensure the health and safety of our employees, and allowing us to implement rigorous COVID-19 protocols in our factories. We had to reduce production in line with market demand, which was estimated to be by 30 per cent.”
Try something new
Bombardier was recognized with the 2021 Health and Safety Mercure award for its rigorous and successful health and safety measures during the pandemic. “I’m very proud of what we did,” Barber says.
Nevertheless, the cutbacks did take a toll on Barber, especially after experiencing both 9/11 and the financial crisis of 2008 in the aerospace industry. It was time for her to reflect on what would be the best next steps in her career. Earlier this year, she decided to leave Bombardier and set up Barber Complete Consultancy, which focuses on helping aerospace clients manage key strategic projects, including sustainable aviation and the advanced air mobility vehicle space.
This is a whole new area that involves using electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to move people and cargo in areas where other modes of transportation might be slow, such as in large, congested cities. “This is the future of urban air travel, so it is very exciting,” she says.
Barber is an example of how being open to new challenges and opportunities can open career doors. Her advice to young people is “find your passion and take time to travel and see the world.” She has been to 46 countries and says that seeing other parts of the world makes a person a better global citizen and helps to inform leadership decisions.
She also continues to have an impact as a mentor for young women and encourages them to pursue their dreams. “I am a firm believer in, ‘If you can see it, then you can be it,’” she says.
