John Harrison has been Airbus’ General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and a member of the Airbus Executive Committee since June 2015. He has served as Chairman of Airbus UK since January 2019.

John Harrison began his career in 1991 at the international law firm Clifford Chance, working consecutively in their London, New York and Paris offices.

He joined Airbus (then EADS) in 1997, fulfilling various senior legal positions in Airbus companies over a ten year period, culminating in his tenure from 2003 to 2007 as General Counsel of the EADS Defence Division. He then joined Technip S.A. where he served as Group General Counsel and Member of the Group Executive Committee from 2007 to 2015, before he returned to Airbus in June 2015.

John brings more than 30 years of experience in managing high profile, complex cross border issues in some of Europe’s largest industrial companies. He has experience leading and integrating teams with external stakeholders around the world, navigating commercial and legal challenges.

Solicitor of the Superior Courts of England & Wales, John Harrison completed his academic studies at the University of McGill, Montréal, Canada. He holds a Bachelor LLB (Hons) and Masters LLM of Laws degree.

In 2017, John Harrison was appointed Chevalier of the French Legion d’honneur. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and, since April 2022, a member of the UK Investment Council.