Story ID: 
Air Charter Association Honors Michael Marshall
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Marshall, 87, died this past summer after steering the Marshall Group for decades.
Word Count: 256
The Air Charter Association honored the late Marshall Group chairman, Sir Michael Marshall, with The Chairman’s Award, recognizing his services to the aviation industry. Air Charter Association chairman Nick Weston and deputy chair Julie Black presented the posthumous award during the recent 17th annual Air Charter Excellence Awards ceremony at the Guildhall in London. Cambridge City airport director Kevan Craske accepted on behalf of Marshall’s widow, Sibyl.

Marshall passed away in July while on vacation in Spain with his wife and friends. He was 87. A former Royal Air Force pilot, Marshall was in his early 20s when he joined the company founded by his grandfather in 1909. By 1965, he was appointed deputy chairman of the company and took over as chairman and CEO after his father retired in 1989. He led the group over nearly the next three decades, helping expand the company into a multi-faceted aerospace organization with £2.5 billion in annual sales and almost 6,000 employees. Before he died, he was planning a flight to Morocco this year to celebrate the 70th anniversary of his receipt of a pilot’s license.

“Sir Michael Marshall’s love of flying, his time in the RAF, and his support of all things aerospace kept him busy,” Weston said, praising his advocacy for women in aerospace engineering, STEM education, and career development of youth. “He was truly a force for good in the industry and it is fitting, therefore, that we celebrate his contribution to the industry here and honor him with this award.”