Meet the team
Bringing together expertise from aerospace, telecoms and hydrogen industries, read on to find out more about more about the talented team that drives SPL.
Richard Deakin
CEO
- Three decades of civil and defence aerospace experience at BAE Systems, Thales Air Systems Division and GKN working extensively on civil drones and unmanned systems
- Member of the UK government’s Drone Industry Action Group, previously CEO of NATS, a company providing air traffic management and airport operations around the world and Global Head of Aerospace for PA Consulting
Simon Scott
Chief Operation Officer
- Joined in 2023
- Over 25 years’ experience in Aerospace, Infrastructure, Transportation and Digital Services. Building and leading engineering teams in safety critical regulated industries.
Mark Busby
Finance Director
- Seasoned finance professional, experienced in complex manufacturing, engineering businesses within aerospace, defence, cyber security and telecoms sectors
- Previously Finance Director of Thales Aerospace Division (UK) responsible for Watchkeeper UAV system integration programme
Kevin Bean
Chief Technical Officer
- Experienced technical lead of large software and systems engineering programs within aerospace and defence, UK and EMEA
- Previously program design authority for Thales Unmanned Air Vehicle Systems
Liz Newman
Head of Human Resources
- Over 20 years HR leadership roles within Aerospace & Defence organisations, UK, EMEA, USA
- Design and delivery of major organisational change and restructure programmes
Neal Unitt-Jones
VP Commercial
- Over 25 years’ experience within Aerospace, Defence, Telecoms and Surveillance, building and leading commercial functions and teams
- Lead negotiation of commercial and government contracts in the UK, USA, EMEA
Mariska Pronk
Head of Programme Management
- A senior Programme Manager with proven track record of successful trans-national, multi-disciplinary project delivery within commercial aerospace
- Experienced in delivery of concept, development certification of wing structures engineering Airbus commercial aircraft
Neil Taylor
Business Systems Analyst
- Experienced in design and manufacturing engineering in the UK, China and South Africa
- 10 years in financial services portfolio management and developing investment strategies
Dr Hatice Olmez
Quality Assurance Manager
- 15 years of industrial experience in Quality Management and Assurance Systems, Operational Excellence and Engineering System Design
- Success in developing Quality Management Systems, processes and procedures and achieving ISO9001/AS9100 certification.
Dr Martin Chan
Lead Engineer – Tank
- Specialist in reaction engineering and heterogenous stalysis, earning an IChemE Andrew Fellowship
- Leading the development of the HAP liquid hydrogen fuel storage system
Tham Evans
Lead Engineer -H2ICE
- Broad experience of technology projects within telecoms and automotive sector
- Expertise in power electronics modelling, power supply systems and green technology in aviation
Sarah Maciocci
Office and HSE Manager
- 20 years’ experience of administration, office and project management within a wide range of commercial organisations and sectors
- Implementation of HSE management systems and processes
Henry Clarke
Aerospace System Subject Matter Expert
- 20 years in aerospace engineering – Smiths Aerospace, Eaton Aerospace and Cobham
- Delivered rapid development of innovative technology in power/fuel systems
Dr Hilary Costello
High Altitude Platform Subject Matter Expert
- Specialising in long endurance aerospace technology designed to operate in the stratosphere, avionics and flight control systems
- Engineering, design, testing of high-altitude aerospace technology – balloon and fixed wing unmanned aerial systems
David Carter
IT Manager
- Extensive experience of digital transformation, delivery of scalable effective IT solutions
- International experience of B2B, B2C within commercial organisations from large corporates to SME’s
