1. Jean Pierson was a French aerospace engineer who served as the managing director and CEO of Airbus Industrie between 1985 and 1998.
16 Facts About Jean Pierson
1. 2.
Jean Pierson studied at the Prytanee national militaire and the military academy in La Fleche, France, and graduated from the Institut superieur de l'aeronautique et de l'espace in 1963.
3.
Jean Pierson started his career in 1963 at Sud Aviation, the predecessor of Airbus Industrie, where he worked as a production engineer.
4.
Jean Pierson joined French aerospace manufacturer Aerospatiale in 1972, going on to head their commercial aircraft business.
5.
From 1972 to 1976, Jean Pierson served as director of SOCATA, the light aircraft division of Aerospatiale, and then as director of the Toulouse office of Aerospatiale from 1976 to 1983.
6.
Jean Pierson succeeded Bernard Lathiere as managing director of Airbus in March 1985.
7.
Jean Pierson set up a pilot training centre in Florida as a finishing school for pilots of Airbus jets.
8.
Jean Pierson is famously known to have unbuckled his belt and dropped his trousers when at the last minute, a discount was demanded by the airline's CEO Stephen Wolf.
9.
Jean Pierson defended Airbus against Boeing and American allegations that the gains made by the corporation were primarily due to government subsidies by countering that Boeing benefited from military orders from the United States.
10.
Jean Pierson played a large role in the commercial development of Airbus Industries.
11.
Jean Pierson led investments to the Airbus A320 program and led the one-cockpit strategy while developing the Airbus A321, further cementing the A320 family of aircraft as the cash cow for the company.
12.
Jean Pierson participated in the Concorde program and led investments into growth of the wide-bodied Airbus A330 and Airbus A340 programs.
13.
Jean Pierson retired from Airbus in 1998, after serving as managing director since 1985.
14.
Jean Pierson had to face regulatory threats and threats of retaliation from the Reagan administration which deemed the state support enjoyed by Airbus as anti-competitive.
15.
Jean Pierson began the process of the integration and creation of a unified corporation, calling the old model of the consortium outdated.
16.
Jean Pierson was known in the French media as "the Bear of the Pyrenees" in reference to his imposing personality and to the Pyrenees mountains not too far from Airbus' headquarters at Toulouse.