Grazia Vittadini - Aerospace Engineer & CTO Rolls Royce

I am a dual Italian and German national. How would I define myself? Definitely as an engineer. It wasn't straightforward; there were zigzags. I loved airplanes, music, art, ballet, and that led me to engineering. I started as a subcontractor and became the first woman on certain executive boards without planning it. I've always been driven by having an impact, changing things for the better, serving a higher purpose. I have a taste for excellence and integrity, both ethical and intellectual. I don't bend to what others expect. That's me.

I have the privilege of serving Rolls-Royce as Chief Technology Officer. I started on December 2nd last year, after 20 years at Airbus, the last three as CTO.

It involves scanning the horizon for technologies pertinent to Rolls-Royce products—not luxury cars, but power generation, mainly aircraft engines, plus stationary power and small modular reactors. Aviation is core. We look for technologies to improve efficiency, performance, or disrupt our own offering. We identify, mature through partnerships, and implement them. Time horizons range from 2-3 years to 20+ years for quantum technologies. We also ensure rigorous validation before flying, because safety comes first.

It's definitely something you have to buy into. In aviation, there's an unwritten rule: you don't compete on safety. Companies even collaborate with competitors on safety. It's a huge responsibility but also rewarding. Seeing airplanes take off for the first time after working on a component is incredibly emotional.

Good question. The pandemic showed how essential aviation is. It's a force for good, but it has a responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint. Decarbonizing aviation is tough; we're responsible for about 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a fundamental component, but not the only solution. We need to continue improving engine efficiency, because every drop counts. SAF currently is mostly biofuels, but they have sustainability issues. Only 0.1% of aviation demand is met by biofuels. All engines are certified to fly with up to 50% SAF blend. We're working to demonstrate 100% SAF. Synthetic fuels, made from captured CO2 and green hydrogen, could reduce emissions by up to 80%. Rolls-Royce is developing direct air carbon capture. We're also exploring electrification and hydrogen for zero CO2 emissions.

I was fascinated by all things that fly. Legend says my third word was 'aeroplano' in Italian. I built model airplanes. But I also had a liberal arts education—music, philosophy, Latin, ancient Greek. My dad is an engineer, my mom a mathematician. I grew up with music and arts; I did ballet for 30 years and studied classical percussion. So there was a zigzag. I loved airplanes and motorcycles, dismantling and rebuilding them. I wanted to be a jet fighter pilot, but the Italian Air Force didn't allow women. I applied and was rejected. That made me angry, so I decided if I can't fly them, I'll build them. That led me to aeronautical engineering at Politecnico di Milano, specializing in aerodynamics. I then left Italy 30 years ago for opportunities, working on Eurofighter, then moving to Germany, France, Spain, UK, US, China, India. I never went back.

Interesting story. I was supposed to go to Paris, but the contract fell through. They offered me Munich instead. I thought it was Monaco on the French Riviera, but it was Munich. I was scared, couldn't speak German. I told myself to stay at least three months. Thirty years later, I still haven't gone back. I learned German, French, Spanish, English—five languages. French and Spanish were easier because of Italian.

It depends on the region. In southern Germany, there's still an expectation that women must choose between career and motherhood. I've seen many female engineers struggle with that. It's nonsense. I've put part-time mothers in leadership positions, and people complained they weren't in the office on Wednesdays. I said don't schedule meetings on Wednesdays. The industry is male-dominated, with about 20% women, fewer at higher levels. Working with other women engineers is refreshing—more pragmatism, less ego, no territory marking. I get things done more efficiently with women.

I didn't. The conditions weren't there. I never had a strong maternal instinct. I found my partner five years ago, and he has two wonderful children. I think about mothers rather than children when discussing corporate conditions for women. Focusing on mothers makes the topic addressable to more men, since everyone has a mother. It's about making the world fairer.

Everyone needs us. It's our duty to build conditions for other forms of womanship to have a voice. It's a self-given mission, one of my top priorities.

There's so much to this. First principle: don't take things personally. When you're a minority, reactions are often not ill-intended, just because you're rare. Colleagues would put me in categories: daughter, flirty type, or mommy. They never had a colleague like me. Feedback can try to squeeze you into a cookie-cutter. I was told to smile less, use my hands less, put on a poker face. Had I followed that, I would have undermined my strengths. You need to know where the line is. If comments cross it, like being introduced as 'our new gorgeous chief engineer,' you must make it clear. But a lot is about coping and flying higher. That's why we have accountability—to pave the way for many more.

I got a lot of advice I couldn't use. What's fundamental is to put your heart in it. Follow your heart, brain, guts, courage. Don't be afraid to follow your heart. There is so much place for heart in STEM. If you want to have an impact and change the world, there's no better field. Study, be accomplished technically, be passionate, and don't forget it's all about human interaction. That's key to getting awesome science and engineering done.

Thank you for having me. We absolutely will keep in touch. We need to do this again.