Fadimatou Noutchemo Simo wins ‘High Flyer Award’

Fadimatou is a woman with a mission – to raise awareness of aviation as a potential career, particularly in those communities which may not ordinarily be exposed to aviation. In 2014 she founded the Young African Aviation Professional Association (YAAPA) to help make this a reality. As part of YAAPA’s outreach program Fadimatou introduced the Heleta Aviation Scholarship Programme to encourage underprivileged children in rural areas of Africa to consider aviation as a future career choice. YAAPA is also an active player in establishing a Community Center in Cameroon which will aim to introduce a Youth Aviation Tech Programme for Africa by matching interested young people with aviation professionals and providing them with strong mentorship opportunities.

Other winners in the awards were Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO, Flybe as Inspirational Role Model, and the Diversity and Inclusion Team award went to Air New Zealand.

“I congratulate all the nominees and winners of these awards, all of them should be proud of what they have achieved and how they are contributing to the Diversity & Inclusion agenda. Our industry is diverse and we need an equally diverse and inclusive workforce to meet their needs. But there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve the balance we need, particularly on gender diversity at senior levels. Today’s impressive awardees both demonstrate and inspire progress,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.