Meet Ziad Jreijiri (MSc Aerospace Vehicle Design 2015), Co-Founder and CEO, Oreyeon LDA
Ziad Jreijiri is at the forefront of aviation safety management, developing artificial intelligence tools that are being used by leading airports to make their runways safer. He is currently co-founder and CEO of Oreyeon.
What advice would you give to students looking to become an entrepreneur?
I think in so many indirect ways, aerospace vehicle design prepares you to become a very successful entrepreneur, but it's just about trying to connect the dots as early as possible because designing an aircraft and building an aircraft are like designing a business and building a business. You must connect all sorts of parts and design them. Make sure whoever is working on another structure next to you or another system, is okay with what you're doing, and to test as much as possible, as frequently as possible, and deliver value to your customer or to your company. The earlier you connect the dots between entrepreneurship and aerospace vehicle design, the bigger the impact you can achieve earlier.
How has Cranfield helped your career?
In simple terms and I'm not exaggerating I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for Cranfield.
In my opinion, it's the best school out there on so many levels and the diversity my mind had to experience here has been key in where I am today, on so many levels, be it the lecturers, the generosity has been key to where I am today.
What is your favourite memory of Cranfield?
Wow, there are so many of them. I think just experiencing both theory and practice because engineering might feel like a lot of theory, but just having the opportunity to get your hands dirty is one of my favourite ones.
Another favourite memory of mine was during our critical design review. I was presenting the fuselage structures in a team, and I did the fatigue load spectrum. One of the Australian Air Force officers had a question that was a very tricky one for my team members and I had to take that answer. It was an amazing experience.
There's another memory just after this, we went to a barbecue with the lecturers and some of them started playing instruments. It was really nice.
What is the most memorable part of your course when you were studying?
I think just presenting to an audience of over 300 Industry people has been a remarkable experience in my journey because having the responsibility to present your work and the work of 90+ engineers over the year is a huge one. I think it went well, but it prepared me to not just do the work, but present and show it which is equally important in real life.
What does it mean to be part of the alumni community?
Since I left campus, on so many occasions some of them were work-related, with so much at stake, I would be talking to people, and they would say they're Cranfield alumni. You immediately feel that there's this extra connection with this individual that wasn't there before, and just sharing different memories, even if we weren't at Cranfield at the same time. But just talking about stuff we experienced on campus.
To be honest, Cranfield has done so much for its students when we were on campus and having this connection with other alumni from different modules and courses has been a great value for me as a young entrepreneur.
How does it feel to win the 2022 Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Aerospace Graduates?
For years since I graduated, every time I told someone I'm a Cranfield alumnus and saw their reactions, it gave me a sense of pride to see and hear what they had to say about Cranfield University. It feels to be recognised by the same institution that has given so much to its students and alumni, and for me, to be able to pay it forward in little ways.
