Cara Sindir is Chief Operating Officer for Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. and leads the company’s operations with a focus on the U.S. government market for space systems and small satellite manufacturing at the Merritt Island, Florida satellite final assembly line. She oversees operations support to the company’s other lines of business including helicopters, military aircraft and uncrewed aircraft systems. She is also Corporate Secretary of the company, working closely with the Board of Directors. She joined the company in October 2019 as the Head of Strategy, Marketing and Communications and was dual hatted as the Chief of Staff to the CEO. During this time, she was instrumental in reorganizing and launching the company as a defense contractor meeting the stringent security requirements of the United States Government.

Cara has extensive international business experience, having spent more than eight years at Airbus Defence and Space in Germany as Chief of Staff to two Executive Vice Presidents responsible for the global business; and leading the global market forecasting team. In these roles, Cara spearheaded organizational transformation, governance and process change efforts; helped launch important training and communications initiatives; and won awards for establishing an annual global market forecast publication.

Prior to joining Airbus Group, Cara was a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow in a program designed for emerging leaders in trans-Atlantic relations where she worked in the German Ministry of Transport and at Cassidian (which later became part of Airbus Defence and Space).

Cara practiced law for five years as an associate in the aviation law practice group at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., specializing in regulatory law and government relations. Before becoming a lawyer, Cara spent several years working for a variety of non-profits focused on women’s rights, children’s rights, and migration issues based in Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Uganda, Canada and the United States. She was also a research fellow at the National University of Singapore.

Cara earned a Master’s degree in International Development and a Juris Doctor degree, both from the University of Denver. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Duquesne University. She speaks fluent German, is a wife and mother, and is passionate about cross-cultural understanding and leadership with a focus on fostering excellence in an inclusive environment.