A French connection: Severine Cosma

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LeanIntoAviation (3)Severine Cosma is the kind of woman you’d want at your dinner party. A vivacious, witty Frenchwoman, she is also a highly qualified aeronautical engineer, with a wealth of experience in the VIP aviation sector.

For almost six years now she has been VP of marketing and communications for Comlux, the Aviation Group. During her tenure the company has grown rapidly from start up to a sizeable player in the corporate aviation community.

So how did she get where she is today? “Growing up in Toulouse, which is the aviation capital of France, there is really only one company to go to, so I went to Airbus,” she says.

During her time at Airbus, she worked as marketing director, executive and private aviation under the guidance of Richard Gaona. “I joined at a time when the market was booming. It was an incredible five years. I was happy going around convincing customers to take our products. Then in 2008 Richard left and asked me to join him at Comlux, and add communications to my skills.”

Her skill set is substantial. Severine gained her first degree in mechanics at Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, then earned a place at the prestigious Ecole nationale supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, where she gained a masters degree in aeronautical engineering. The Ecole also offered 30 students a year the chance to learn to fly as a recreational pilot, which she fought hard for – and won.

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She says that working at Comlux is more challenging than being at Airbus, simply because of the size of her team. In a multinational corporation there are layers of assistance – in the smaller entity there are just two people in her team. However, she sees that as a challenge to rise to, saying: “Today what I like the most is meeting with the clients. I can explain how to operate our product, as well as how to complete the cabin. I also do all the communications with the media and work on our website.”

A major life change took place two years ago with the birth of her daughter, Gisele. She explains: “I can only do motherhood and my job with the strong support of my family, and my boss, which has allowed me not to change anything, and to travel the same. What has changed is I am sad to leave her, as I enjoy my time with her. She brings the balance I need to have in the world and helps me to remain stable.”

However, Severine loves her job, too. Even after several years working on luxury aircraft, she is still passionate about them, explaining: “I get the opportunity to fly on one of our jets sometimes, and every time I get on board I have shining eyes. They are so special.”

She is next on tour at the Bahrain Airshow, where she will be at the static in the largest Comlux Aviation’s revamped VIP Boeing 767 promoting the aircraft, which now offers connectivity along with many other charms, and is the largest chartereable bizjet in the Middle East. Since she is guaranteed good company I’ll be booking in for coffee…