Who is ESSI
ESSI brings together experts from industry, academia, government, and finance to advance space sustainability. Meet the team driving our mission forward.
Core Team
The leadership team driving ESSI's day-to-day operations and strategic direction.
Joanne Wheeler
Director
ESSI
David Wade
Director
ESSI
Michael Cheng
Director
ESSI
Prof Marek Ziebart
Professor of Space Geodesy
UCL
Dr Alex Barber
Medical Advisor
ESSI
Steve Kelly
Project Manager
ESSI
Hugh Lewis
Space Debris Expert
University of Birmingham
Hedley Stokes
Space Standards Expert
ESSI
Richard Ambrosi
Professor / Executive Director of Space Park Leicester
University of Leicester
Rainer Schnepfleitner (Dr)
Director, Office for Communications (AK)
Liechtenstein
Dr Marieta Valdivia Lefort
Public Policy Specialist
Royal Astronomical Society
Maurizio Vanotti
Advisor
Space Industry
Executive Committee
Senior advisors from academia, government, and industry providing strategic guidance.
Prof Martin Barstow
Professor of Astrophysics
University of Leicester
Lord Cromwell
Member, House of Lords
UK Parliament
Dr Peter Martinez
Executive Director
Secure World Foundation
Prof Hugh Lewis
Professor of Astronautics
University of Birmingham
Hedley Stokes
Director of a Space Consultancy
PHS Space Ltd
Richard Linares
Associate Professor
MIT
Robert Massey
Deputy Executive Director
Royal Astronomical Society
Andy Mount
Chair
Space Scotland Board
Marilena Ampelikiota
Executive
Space Industry
Nobuo Yoshii
Space Insurance Underwriter
Tokio Marine Nichido
Paul Godfrey
Air Marshal, Former Commander UK Space Command
Royal Air Force
Richard Brook
Executive
Space Industry
Steve Spittle
Satellite Solutions Architect
Satellite Applications Catapult
Theunis Kotze
Advisor
Space Industry
Isabel Broughton
Executive
Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO)
Advisory Board
Representatives from leading organizations across the space sector.
Julie Black
Deputy Director, EO & Discovery
UK Space Agency
Miriam Grigg
Deputy Director
DSIT
Tania Celani
Deputy Director
DSIT
Mark Dankberg
Chairman & CEO
Viasat
Alex Fielding
CEO
Privateer Space
Nadeem Ghafoor
CEO
Avalon Space
Richard Lowe
CTO
Satellite Applications Catapult
Ruth Fain
Director
Aurora Environmental Consulting
Trisha Saxena
Advisor
NATO Innovation Fund
Akiko Hama
Client Executive
Global Aerospace
Andy Bradford
CEO
Bradspace
Andrew Fournet
BD Lead, Space Defence & Intelligence (Scotland)
CGI
Andrew Stanniland
Managing Director
MDA Space UK
Anthony Baker
Founder & CEO
Satellite Vu
Colin Baldwin
Executive Director
UKspace
Geoff Buswell
Head of Marketing & Sales
Telespazio UK
Himesh Chavda
Associate General Counsel
ICEYE
James Pearson
Advisor
Space Industry
Jennifer Manner
SVP Regulatory Affairs
AST SpaceMobile
John Hanley
SVP Secure Mission Critical Solutions
CGI
Lorenzo Arona
CEO
Safe Havens
Lucy Edge
Advisor
Space Industry
Melissa Quinn
GM International
Slingshot Aerospace
Neil Stevens
Advisor
Space Industry
Nick Shave
VP UK & Europe
Astroscale
Patricia Cooper
President & Founder
Constellation Advisory
Paul Cremin
Head of Spaceflight, MBE
Department for Transport
Rob Desborough
General Partner
Seraphim Space
Rory Holmes
Advisor
Space Industry
Sharon Pryde
Senior Executive, Space
Scottish Enterprise
Stuart Eves
Director
SJE Space Ltd
Tim Davies
CEO
HiRock
Victoria Irwin
Head of Business Development & Sales
MDA Space UK