Paula Gill interview: Strengthening the chain

Paula Gill has just returned from a successful air mission – helping showcase Lancashire and the wider north west’s advanced manufacturing excellence to a global audience.

The chief executive of the Nelson headquartered North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) was leading the team promoting and showcasing the region’s capabilities and potential at the Farnborough International Air Show in July.

Unsurprisingly, given the global tensions that exist, much of the focus in the display halls was on defence and fast emerging technologies in that arena.

And with the new incumbent in Number 10 looking to centre his defence policy on reindustrialising the UK, Paula believes that creates opportunity for the sector in Lancashire and its supply chain.

She says: “Andy Burnham, his new chancellor and defence secretary are very much aware and focused on what the UK needs are.

“Lancashire and the north west are well placed to take advantage of this. We have the know how and capabilities to meet that demand. We are already working to develop the next generation of air defence and submarines are being built at Barrow.

“There has never been a better moment for UK supply chain businesses to scale, innovate and lead.”

However, she warns building supply chain resilience will be vital in order to take full advantage of the opportunities coming its way.

And one of the challenges will be having the ability to ramp up the speed of delivery the aerospace and defence sector needs, not only to fulfil a backlog of current orders that exists but to meet the demands of new work.

Paula adds: “We have to make sure that we have the skilled workforce in our supply chain as we grow.”

To read this interview in full, and the rest of our Sector View on advanced manufacturing, see Lancashire Business View issue 130 September/October 2026