Professor of Space Systems Engineering at Cranfield University, and Chair of the Space East | Cranfield University
Paul Febvre is currently Professor of Space Systems Engineering at Cranfield University, and Chair of the Space East regional cluster. Paul previously founded Satellite Applications Catapult in 2012 and was CTO until 2024. Prior to that as Chief Design Authority at Inmarsat Paul developed several generations of digital satellite communications systems all of which continue to deliver enterprise, defence and safety services globally.
Paul has four decades of expertise in design and development of end-end system design, satellite and mobile wireless technologies, position, navigation and timing, and aviation safety systems.
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co-founder and CEO of Super-Sharp Space Systems Ltd & Deputy Chair of Space East | Supersharp
Marco Gomez-Jenkins is co-founder and CEO of Super-Sharp Space Systems Ltd, an Earth-Observation company developing unfolding space telescopes to capture ultra high-resolution thermal images. He leads the development and execution of the business plan for the company, including fundraising efforts and customer engagement. He holds an MBA from Imperial College London and was a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he led the commercialization of SuperSharp’s core technology developed at the Institute of Astronomy. Marco also has a background in aerospace engineering and was the Project Manager of the Irazú Project, a space mission that consisted of launching the first Central American satellite in 2018 to monitor carbon fixation in Costa Rican rainforests. He is a member of the IAF Latin-America and Caribbean Subcommittee (LAC-SC), the Small Satellite Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics, and the Royal Aeronautical Society.
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Launch & Microgravity specialist & Deputy Chair of Space East | Cambridge Aerospace
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Principal Oceanographer | CEFAS
Jon, a Principal Oceanographer from Cefas , has three degrees from Warwick, Southampton and UEA and is a Fellow of IMarEST. He has over 35 years experience of research around the UK and overseas. He provides expert advice to the Government on a variety of marine topics – from Emergency response, to offshore renewables and Deep sea mining.
Jon heads the Earth Observation team within Cefas combining data from Copernicus Sentinel Satellites with commercial operators to provide environmental Marine situational awareness. This uses datacubes to assimilate extensive datasets from various sources. Jon sits on Defra’s EO Centre of Excellence (EOCOE) strategy board with the aim of integrating space observations more fully into policy and operational delivery (e.g. NetZero, NetGain and marine Natural Capital). Cefas uses EO extensively in the Blue Belt programme, Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) programme and as well as the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) funded from the Blue Planet fund to map habitats and build robust marine management plans.
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Head of Technical Strategy and R&D UK | Airbus
With over 17 years working in the Defence and Space sectors, Simon is currently Head of Technical Strategy and R&D for Space Systems UK within Airbus Defence and Space.
Following completion of an Engineering Apprenticeship in the Space industry, Simon spent a number of years leading the quality management on major international Space and Defence projects. Following this, Simon has managed a number of major development projects including multi-million-pound digital processor development, qualification and flight model production.
With experience in all aspects of space equipment and spacecraft production and test, Simon brings a significant depth and breadth of knowledge to this committee. Simon’s current role allows him to focus on securing the future by working on R&D strategy and implementation across the whole of Space Systems within Airbus in the UK, working to develop the next generation of technology and systems needed to remain at the forefront of the Space industry.
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Senior Business Development Manager | TWI
Vito Di Pietro is Senior Business Development Manager for the Space sector at TWI Ltd, where he leads TWI’s engagement with the global space industry. He manages the ESA Technology Broker UK contract, helping UK companies of all sizes enter the space sector and transfer technologies from non-space domains. His work supports the growth of advanced manufacturing and inspection capabilities for space, including in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, additive manufacturing, coatings and joining technologies.
With a background in electronic engineering from Politecnico di Torino, Vito has worked across Europe on semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and technology transfer. He is committed to supporting the growth of the UK space sector, fostering collaboration between industry, academia and government to advance innovation and regional opportunities.
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Associate Director Business Partnerships | UEA
Julie Schofield is Associate Director Business Partnerships at the University of East Anglia. In her role she is responsible for the strategic development of external relationships to maximise the impact of UEA’s research and innovation expertise. Julie also oversees the university’s Consultancy Service and Student Enterprise & Graduate start-up service. She has 15+ years’ experience in HE including former Head of Careers – Business Engagement. Previous positions include Director of Business Development at Business Link Norfolk.
Julie is a member of the Norwich Town Deal Board, Norwich Business Improvement District Board, the Norfolk & Suffolk Innovation Advisory Board, Norwich Business in the Community Place Leadership Board and a co-founder of Sync the City, an annual 54-hour hackathon that takes place in the city. Julie has also been a member of the Norwich University Technical College Board of Governors for ten years.
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Professor - Energy and Sustainable Development | Uni of Suffolk
Darryl Newport is Professor of Energy and Sustainable Development and Director of the Suffolk Sustainability Institute at the University of Suffolk. Based originally in surveying and mapping science, his early research focused on laser interferometry, photogrammetry, remote sensing including LiDAR, and GIS/GPS technologies. Building on that technical grounding, he has evolved into a global expert on resource efficiency, the built environment, and environmental sustainability, with a focus on renewable energy, circular economy, and decarbonisation solutions.
More recently, Darryl has expanded into space-based energy and quantum communication initiatives. He is a key contributor to the development of the Quantum Optics Discovery Lab (QOD Lab) in Suffolk, the UK’s largest indoor optical research range. QOD Lab supports Earth to space optical and quantum communications testing, including a network of Optical Ground Stations (OGS) and Quantum Communications infrastructure for satellite links. Under his leadership, QOD Lab is now a collaborative testbed for next generation space enabled communications and energy research.
In summary, Darryl draws upon a rare combination of remote sensing engineering, resource efficiency expertise, sustainable energy strategy, and pioneering quantum/optical ground station research to deliver multidisciplinary innovation.
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Senior Group Lead & Space Account Manager | BAE Systems
Ingrida Juraite is an experienced programme manager and technology leader at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. With over 15 years in the defence and space industry, Ingrida has contributed to the development of cutting-edge technologies including the next-generation deep space communications system.
She currently leads cross-functional teams in Communications & Monitoring, Special Projects, RF Systems, Advanced Electronics, and Crypto Technologies, delivering novel capabilities to civil, security, and defence sectors. With a strong foundation in both the technical and business domains, Ingrida specialises in translating complex mission requirements into scalable engineering solutions and has supported multiple missions delivering complex R&D projects from concept through development.
Ingrida is also a programme lead for the Tracking, Telemetry and Command Processor (TTCP) system – ESA’s primary Software-Defined Radio (SDR) platform for deep-space spacecraft communications. Her work is driven by a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and advancing technologies across all domains, from subsea to space. A passionate advocate for STEM, she mentors young engineers and actively contributes to outreach programs aimed at making engineering careers more accessible.
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BT Research and Network Strategy - Centre of Excellence Lead | BT
Jon is a Centre of Excellence lead in BT Research and Network Strategy, with responsibility for BT’s Satcoms Research. His primary areas of interest are Terrestrial-Non-Terrestrial Network integration, 5/6G satcoms services, Optical and Quantum satcoms, and High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS).
Jon has over 40 years’ experience of the satcom industry leading and delivering research on all aspects of satcoms end-to-end system design including propagation analysis, distributed network management, spacecraft proposal evaluation, service characterisation, trials and demonstrations. He also has experience in new concept evaluation, technology strategy analysis, and business case development.
Jon is a previous chair of the FEI (now techUK) Satcoms Committee and the UKspace-techUK Satellite Telecommunications Committee; he is BT’s UKspace Council Member, a current member of the DSIT UKTIN NTN Expert Working Group, and a member of the University of Suffolk’s (UKSA funded) Quantum Optics Discovery Lab Research & Planning Advisory Group.
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Regional Director | Space East (SCC)
Stuart is the Regional Director for Space East, the UKSA supported Space Cluster for the East of England. As one of the 14 such organisations around the UK, Space East is dedicated to developing a thriving, innovative, and engaged community of cross-sector businesses eager to explore the opportunities within the £18.2bn UK space sector. Stuart has grown the cluster to 280 members and £4m of project money in the first 24 months of operation.
Stuart is an experienced Senior Manager with a background in both public and private sectors, spanning industries such as Bioscience, Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, and Education. Before joining Space East, he served as an Inward Investment Manager for Norfolk and Suffolk Unlimited. He has a passion for innovation, collaborative working and business development.
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Executive Director | UK Space
Colin took up the role of Executive Director of UKspace – the industry-led trade association for the UK’s space sector – in July 2024, having joined as Head of Policy in June 2022.
UKspace helps its members to connect to each other and key stakeholders, promotes its members and the space sector and develops industry positions to ensure space remains at the forefront of Government policy. UKspace has over 220 members of all sizes across the entire space value chain and across the whole of the UK.
Prior to joining UKspace, Colin was Head of Local Growth Strategy at the UK Space Agency, with responsibility for developing space clusters across the country, fostering university-business collaborations and developing initiatives to support space start-ups and scale-ups. Whilst at the UK Space Agency, he also co-led work to understand and mitigate the impacts of Covid on the space sector and led the UK Space Agency’s Interim Strategy Team – working across Government to support the establishment of the new National Space Council and initiate work on the National Space Strategy.
Earlier in his career, Colin was involved in establishing the International Space Innovation Centre and Satellite Applications Catapult.
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Head of Capabilities and Clusters | Sat Apps Catapult
Simone Hartless is Head of Capabilities and Clusters at the Satellite Applications Catapult. She leads the National Capabilities and Clusters team who work to create a thriving and connected UK space ecosystem by growing productive UK Space clusters and a vibrant space community, working collaboratively to build national capabilities, delivering UK strategic priorities and growing the economy. With our stakeholders we deliver this by:
-Supporting local leadership teams to develop sustainable growth strategies and become part of a productive cluster network recognised internationally;
-Connecting stakeholder communities and build bridges between industry, government, and academia enhancing knowledge exchange and collaborative opportunities; and,
-Stimulating the growth of national capabilities through improved innovation services, infrastructure interventions and business scale up support programmes.
Simone has over fifteen years’ experience of working in varied roles within the private and public sectors championing regional economic development. Simone holds a first-class Law and Politics degree from the University of Liverpool; a Masters in Public Services Policy and Management from King’s College, London and is a PRINCE2 trained Project Manager. The last ten years of Simone’s career have focused on the UK business growth agenda, particularly in innovative sectors, facilitating the development of local and regional clusters. Working directly in the Space Sector since 2018, Simone shapes and delivers collaborative projects and strategies to help regional localities to develop including supporting the creation and growth of Space East.
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Space Ecosystem Development Manager | UKSA
Jon leads the UK Space Agency’s Ecosystem Development Programme, which supports the UK’s thriving network of space clusters to drive local economic growth and strengthen the UK’s capabilities. He joined the UK Space Agency in 2019 and has previously worked in communications and public affairs across both the public and private sectors.
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Sector Growth Manager | Essex CC
Michael has worked in the field of business support for over 25 years, previously having worked in manufacturing and originally training as an accountant. This time has been spent working in different organisations and on different projects, primarily in Essex but often covering other parts of the Eastern Region.
Michael first began to realise the potential for the space sector and regional collaboration soon after joining Essex County Council in 2018.
His work as Sector Development Manager has encompassed working with numerous local Essex businesses from international corporates to SMEs innovating in the space sector and Academics supporting future space sector growth opportunities.
He also leads for Essex on other pan regional partnerships such as Generate, Made Smarter.
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Head of Economic Development. | NCC
Roberta leads the Economic Development team at Norfolk County Council, with key areas of delivery including economic strategy – developing the Norfolk Local Growth Plan, business support programmes, Norfolk Growth Hub service, sector development and innovation, and site development – including the £25m Great Yarmouth Operations and Maintenance Campus at Great Yarmouth Port. Roberta has worked in economic development for 17 years, in various roles, including grant funding programmes, regeneration projects, delivering inward investment and leading on international trade programmes – predominantly for the energy and food & drink sectors. Roberta’s team also deliver digital support for SMEs to adopt new digital technologies, supporting over 1,600 Norfolk SMEs; and have recently launched the East of England Made Smarter Programme, providing digital roadmaps and grants to manufacturing and engineering businesses.
Roberta is also a member of the Norwich Financial Industries Group Board, Tech East Board, NAAME Board, EofE Made Smarter Board, Eastwind and she is lead officer for the Norfolk Business Board
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Economic Growth Champion - Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | CAPCA
Paul is a Manufacturer Top 100 2025 honouree and Economic Growth Champion at the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), where he leads strategic development in the Advanced Materials & Manufacturing sector. Paul brings deep expertise in inward investment, innovation funding, stakeholder engagement, and workforce development to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
As a Governance Group member for Space East, Paul champions the intersection of advanced manufacturing and the space sector—one of the UK’s high-growth industries identified in the Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. He advocates for the critical role of precision engineering, materials innovation, and scalable manufacturing in enabling the UK’s space ambitions, helping position the region as a national leader in space-enabled industrial transformation
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Head of Enterprise and Innovation | SCC
Julian Munson is Head of Enterprise and Innovation at Suffolk County Council and responsible for a range of initiatives to support growth and promote innovation across key business sectors under the new Suffolk Economy brand. Previously at New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, Julian set up and established several regional innovation programmes, including Space East, of which he was the original Founder and Chair, and Connected Innovation which has grown to become one of the largest innovation ecosystems in the country linking together around 30 regional hubs of innovation and research.
Julian has a long and varied career in economic development, inward investment, innovation, business support and marketing, particularly in East Anglia. His career also took him to Australia for several years where he led on some major city based economic development and innovation projects in Perth and Adelaide before returning to his home county of Suffolk.
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