Nicolas Bloch Senior Technical Consultant

nbloch@wicks-group.com
202-457-7790 (office)
+33 (0) 6-31-56-28-90 (mobile)

Nicolas Bloch is a Senior Technical Consultant for The Wicks Group Consulting (TWG) specializing in aircraft oxygen systems. Nicolas draws on more than 40 years of oxygen system industry experience and involvement in international standards-setting committees to serve as a subject matter expert and provide advice to TWG on legal or consulting matters.

His past professional positions include serving as Engineering Vice-President for Safran Oxygen Systems, which specializes in the design and manufacturing of oxygen-related safety equipment, and in a series of Vice-President or Director positions with the company that encompassed the areas of Program Management, Business Development, or Engineering. His early professional work included serving as Engineering Manager for Air Liquide Medical Systems, which specialized in the design and manufacturing of home care, respiratory care and anesthesia equipment.

Nicolas also has been extensively involved in the SAE A-10 Aircraft Oxygen Equipment Committee that has a key role in developing industry standards on the basis of information compiled from users, equipment suppliers, aircraft manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and medical groups in the aeronautical oxygen field.

Nicolas holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Ecole Centrale de Lille (Lille, France) and a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from New York University. He also completed an Executive Master degree in Management from the ESCP Business School (Paris, France).

Representative Experience

• Served in Vice-President and Director positions for engineering or program management over a more than 20-year career with leading aircraft oxygen system design and manufacturing companies.
• Promoted aviation oxygen systems and equipment design concepts among the aircraft manufacturers community for 20+ years.
• Provided expert technical knowledge to major aircraft manufacturers regarding innovative aviation oxygen systems ELOS (Equivalent Level Of Safety) or ESF (Equivalent Safety Findings) demonstrations.
• Co-authored the “European Aviation Safety Agency, Research Project SAPOX: Safety Aspects of Pulse Oxygen Systems” report.
• Supervised the deployment of equipment design risk management processes (Safety Risk Assessment, DFMEA: Design failure Mode and Effects Analysis, FTA: Fault-Tree Analysis, etc.) among engineering organizations.
• Enforced compliance with program management and design quality assurance processes across a multicultural team.
• Taught respiratory physiology and means of protection at altitude fundamentals.
• Acted as a member of the SAE A-10 Oxygen Equipment Committee leadership team for 15 years.
• Co-developed and maintained several aviation oxygen industry standards, including the very first standard based on SaO2 (arterial blood oxygen saturation) levels measurements.
• Patented inventions for use in aviation oxygen systems and anesthesia apparatus.