Speakers

John Kilgallon is the General Manager at Turbine Surface Technologies Ltd, seconded from Rolls-Royce plc since 2020, where he leads a team supplying high technology coating solutions to R-R domestic and sub-tier customers.

After completing his Aerospace Engineering Masters Degree at the University of Bristol in 2001, John joined Rolls-Royce graduate training in Bristol and moved into the Turbines Nozzle Guide Vanes (NGV) business eighteen months later as a Manufacturing Engineer. After several years of product engineering and as a ME team leader for a range of NGVs, John then led the development of a machining cell as part of R-R’s strategic Bristol site transformation and the project to build and move NGV operations into the new Bristol Turbines Facility.

In 2008 John took his first technical management role, as Manufacturing Engineering Manager in the Bristol Foundry, and took on the role of high performance culture trainer. In 2012 he took on the role of Chief of Manufacturing Systems, leading development of the shop floor IT capability for R-R Turbines Supply Chin Unit. He subsequently spent two years as Turbines Chief of Manufacturing Engineering for Core & Cast before, in 2015, moving to Rotherham as the Manufacturing Manager of the Advanced Blade Casting Facility. In this role he led and grew the team to industrialise this brand new highly advanced, automated and digitally capable investment casting facility, before then moving to Turbine Surface Technologies, leading the business through the challenge of the COVID pandemic, subsequent doubling in output, and completion and inauguration of TSTL’s second manufacturing facility.