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Skydio doubles down on expansion into Europe; hires ex-DJI, EASA execs

Skydio, the largest US manufacturer of AI-equipped consumer and enterprise drones, is continuing its push for global expansion by ramping up its international team. And this time, the focus is on Europe.

Skydio eyes Europe drone market

Martin Brandenburg takes on the role of VP, international business development, at Skydio after gaining two decades of drone industry and IT expertise at companies that include DJI, Dell, and Fujitsu.

Brandenburg has played an instrumental role in establishing the DJI brand in Europe and educating the EMEA markets about the benefits of drones and imaging technology. However, in a press statement issued by Skydio, he appears to be throwing shade at his former employer:

During my career in the drone industry, I saw how drones improve worker safety and drive process efficiency. But I also saw how manual drone technology severely limits the scale of enterprise drone programs, due to the considerable training requirements and constant risk of crashes. Users are clamoring for a solution to enable mainstream adoption of drones, and autonomy is the answer.

Another new hire, André Becker, joins Skydio as head of international solutions engineering.

Becker, who’s equally at ease in creative, engineering, and marketing environments, was leading the European product management for DJI in his previous role. He has been a keynote speaker for global product launches and the driving force behind partnerships with Amazon Prime, the FIA World Rally Championship, and Peugeot. Calling autonomy a game changer for drone technology, Becker quips:

Skydio’s technology truly elevates drone technology to an unseen level. Its safety, ease of use, and the level of automation is something you have to experience yourself to believe.

In the meantime, Skydio has also roped in a new International Regulatory Program Manager in the form of Diego Fernández Varela – an aeronautical engineer who started his career at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and helped draft drone regulations in Europe. Before joining Skydio, Diego was working with the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA).

It’s worth noting that Skydio took the first step toward global expansion in 2020 with the establishment of a new Japan office. The company has since started shipping to Australia and New Zealand as well.

Read more: New drone videos show lava flow, coastline expansion from Spain’s La Palma volcano

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Avatar for Ishveena Singh Ishveena Singh

Ishveena Singh is a versatile journalist and writer with a passion for drones and location technologies. She has been named as one of the 50 Rising Stars of the geospatial industry for the year 2021 by Geospatial World magazine.


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