Williams, a skeleton bobsleigh athlete, was the first British female individual Winter Olympics gold medallist since 1952. She was the first British individual gold medallist at a Winter Olympics for 30 years and the only British medallist in the 2010 event.

Her go-getting nature and vast range of achievements, including co-driving in the International Wales GB rally to presenting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, are sure to be embedded within her speech.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of such an exciting event,” stated Williams. “I have always enjoyed encouraging and motivating others to be the best in their field and I am greatly looking forward to speaking at the gala dinner to the aerospace industry.”

Colin Turner, chief executive of the West of England Aerospace Forum, said: “We are very excited to have such an inspirational speaker attending the gala dinner, it is sure to be a motivating and thought-provoking evening.”

The industry speaker this year is Andrew Cowdery, director of Government Affairs at Leonardo in the UK. With 35 years of experience with companies such as BAE Systems, Cowdery is well versed in the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

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