Lilium selects London as base to develop software for its on-demand air mobility service

Lilium, the Munich-based startup developing a revolutionary on-demand air taxi service, announced that it has selected London to be the base for a world- class software team it plans to develop.

Hundreds of
high-end software engineering roles will be created in the city over the
next five years as the business seeks to make affordable, electric,
on-demand air taxis a reality by 2025. Roles will also be added in their
existing hubs in Munich and Zurich.

The announcement, which coincided with London Tech Week, came as the
company confirmed a trio of senior hires, including the appointment of
Carlos Morgado, former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Just Eat, to
lead the development of the software engineering team as VP Digital
Technology.

Additionally, the business has appointed Anja Maassen van den Brink
as Chief People Officer (CPO) and Luca Benassi as Chief Development
Engineer. Maassen van den Brink joins Lilium from VodafoneZiggo where,
as Chief Human Resources Officer and a member of the Executive Board,
she led the integration of the mobile and fixed business into one
company. Benassi brings more than 20 years of experience in the
aerospace sector, having worked at NASA, Boeing and, most recently,
Airbus, where he was a Senior Expert and Head of Acoustics and
Vibration.

The news comes just weeks after the company revealed the Lilium Jet,
the world's first all-electric, five-seater, vertical take-off and
landing jet, and underlines its progress towards delivering a world
where anyone can fly anywhere, anytime.

Commenting on the announcement, Daniel Wiegand, CEO, said: “We are
one of very few companies in our sector that wants to both produce air
taxis and then operate them day-to-day. Today's announcement and the
recruitment of these three new leaders underlines our continuous efforts
to build the very best team in air mobility. We are hiring the best of
the best from a global talent base, forming the basis for achieving our
target of becoming the leading air mobility company.”

Commenting on the task that lies ahead, Carlos Morgado said:
“Delivering Lilium's vision of an on-demand air taxi service that
customers can order directly from their smartphone will require
software, and a team, that is almost unparalleled in its
sophistication. Not only do we need to deliver a seamless digital
experience for our customers, which will be based around a ride-hailing
app similar to those you would use for a taxi today, but we also need to
create the software that will enable us to manage our fleet in the
smartest and most efficient way possible. We'll be scheduling flights,
moving aircraft around to match changing demand, and managing
maintenance, all in three dimensions, with the added complexity of
having to integrate with existing air traffic control regulations and
systems.”

Lilium plans to design, produce and operate the Lilium Jet, and has
set a target of being fully operational in several cities around the
world by 2025.

Remo Gerber, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), who leads the aviation
operations division, said: “Achieving our aims will require us to build
one of the world's most innovative and high-performing software
engineering teams. While we recognise that talent is global, London
offers us access to a rich talent pool and an environment that's
well-suited to delivering the extraordinary.”