Michael Ryan CBE

Vice President & General Manager, Bombardier Aerospace

Michael Ryan was born in Belfast in 1959.  He graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast, in 1981 with an honours degree in aeronautical engineering, and joined Short Brothers the same year.

Prior to and since Bombardier’s acquisition of Shorts in 1989, he has held various management positions in the company, including general manager of the advanced composites production unit and general manager of fabrications.  In 1997, he was appointed director of procurement in Northern Ireland, and in June 1999, he was transferred to Montreal where he took up the position of general manager, procurement for Bombardier Aerospace.

He returned to Belfast in May 2000 when he was appointed vice-president and general manager of Bombardier Aerospace in Northern Ireland.  He now heads the team in Belfast which is responsible for the design and manufacture of structures for the world’s most successful regional and business aircraft, market sectors in which Bombardier is today number one in the world.

In January 2005, he was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List, and in 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast, for services to business and commerce.

Mr Ryan is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. 

Married with three children, he enjoys sports, reading and listening to music.

Other Positions of Responsibility

Chairman Maydown Precision Engineering
Board Member of Business in the Community Northern Ireland
ADS Operating Board Member
Board Member of Centre for Competitiveness
Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Chairman West Belfast/Greater Shankill Employers Forum