A NASA astronaut will take to the stage as the key-note speaker at an upcoming business awards event.
Steve Bowen, who is a US Navy captain and former submariner, will share his experiences of his time in space at the 2015 Elevator Awards ceremony.
Mr Bowen has carried out three space shuttle missions to the International Space Station, seeing him travel almost 17 million miles in space and complete 638 orbits of the earth.
During the space missions, Mr Bowen also carried out seven space walks; NASA’s most hazardous mission activity. He has received numerous awards from the US Navy and NASA for his achievements.
Mr Bowen, who is also heavily involved in community work, offering youngsters inspiration and support, will also participate in a business growth masterclass during the afternoon of the awards. The event, taking place at Elevator’s centre of entrepreneurship situated in Aberdeen’s Energy Park at the Bridge of Don, will be attended by members of the business community and pupils from schools involved with Elevator, and will focus on leadership.
The event will place on Thursday 25 June at The Mercure Aberdeen Ardoe House Hotel and Spa.
The Elevator Awards, formerly known as the Grampian Awards for Business Excellence, received hundreds of applications from local businesses, organisers Elevator said.
Chief executive of Elevator, Professor Gary McEwan, said: “We are honoured to be welcoming Steve Bowen as the key-note speaker at the awards ceremony, and as the speaker at our masterclass. During his lifetime, Steve has played an instrumental role in three of the world’s most monumental space missions. His courage and determination over the years is truly inspirational, and the audience will learn a lot from his life changing experiences.
“The awards support and showcase the success of entrepreneurship in the North-east, and the awards night continues to be a major event within the North-east business calendar. The evening is an excellent opportunity for local business owners and entrepreneurs to celebrate their achievements and success to date. We wish all of this year’s finalists the best of luck as they approach the final stage of the competition.”
The attendance of Mr Bowen has been arranged in partnership with the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET).
Chris Barber, director of ISSET, said: “We are delighted to bring such a highly inspirational and motivational astronaut like Steve Bowen to Aberdeen to share his experiences and help inculcate the NASA ‘You Can Do It’ spirit within the community.”
Russell Whyte, director of commercial banking, at The Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “We are delighted that the night will feature an address from astronaut Steve Bowen, whose story is truly inspiring. His work with NASA is an example of human endeavor and technological skill pushing new boundaries, something which many of our clients – and many of the Elevator finalists – can relate to with their business activities.”