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Graduate Space Careers Stream
8 November 2023
Graduate Space Careers Stream

Graduate Space Careers Stream: Building a road to a future in space

As noted by the Space Skills Alliance, the sector must make itself attractive to a wider range of people. The Graduate Space Careers Stream taking place on day 2 of the Global MilSatCom Conference, will increase awareness of non-traditional career paths, and offer more opportunities for interested individuals to improve their skills.

Despite a cultural renaissance, concerted government support, and a booming private sector, the UK space sector continues to battle a global skills shortage.With the only truly global conference for Military Satellite Communication technology, SAE recognise that our annual platform can provide a unique opportunity to contribute to solutions for the wider space community.

With 150 UK-based undergraduate and postgraduate students, the challenges will be addressed head on.

Apply To Register
The Global MilSatCom Graduate Space Careers Stream is free to attend for students at UK universities only. 

  • Conditions for entry:
    • You must be a student at a UK university
    • Student ID and legal ID must be presented upon attendance

Students can apply to register by clicking 'register'
If your application has been successful you will receive confirmation by SAE Media Group via email confirming your attendance within 2 weeks.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Dr Joanna Hart

Dr Joanna Hart

Director, Space Partnership
Dr Natasha Nicholson

Dr Natasha Nicholson

Former Cluster Manager, Space Scotland and Director, Star Helix Consulting
Dr Robert Massey

Dr Robert Massey

Deputy Executive Director, Royal Astronomical Society
Kathie Bowden

Kathie Bowden

Skills Manager, Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd
Mr Jacob Smith

Mr Jacob Smith

Director, SpaceCareers.uk
Mr Joseph Dudley

Mr Joseph Dudley

Director and Co-Founder, Space Skills Alliance
Professor Anu Ojha OBE

Professor Anu Ojha OBE

Director - Championing Space, UK Space Agency

Air Commodore Adam Bone

Head of Operations, Plans, Enablement and Training, UK Space Command
Air Commodore Adam Bone

Adam Bone enjoyed various postings and deployments as a junior officer. Tours included Ops Officer at the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre, numerous operational deployments as part of the Op VERITAS/TELIC Task Force and an exchange appointment with the Defence Intelligence Geospatial Organisation in Canberra. Before promoting to Sqn Ldr, Bone was posted to RAF Odiham as the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing IntO responsible to three enduring SF operations in Afghanistan and Iraq for which he was commended for meritorious service.

Following a tour as intelligence lead within the SF Cell at PJHQ, Bone commanded the PJHQ Op HERRICK J2 team. Subsequently he deployed to US CENTCOM, acting as the UK Counter Terrorism LO for the Senior British Military Advisor, before a thoroughly rewarding tour as a flight commander on 39 Sqn at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. On promotion to Wing Commander, Bone became senior J2 officer at the UK’s high-readiness JFHQ where he was intimately involved in tasks such as non-combatant evacuation operations in Africa and support to UK elements in Iraq. His tour culminated in leading the UK military team based out of the UK Embassy in Nigeria in the early stages of Op TURUS.

His next move was to the MOD in Whitehall as a member of the Air Staff Strategy team, where he was the principal staff officer for the RAF Strategy released in 2017. Before promoting to Group Captain, Bone was Officer Commanding the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence (Analysis) at RAF Wyton. Bone then completed a tour as DACOS Air Intelligence and Information Warfare within 11Gp, before being selected to become Personal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff for a busy tour which included supporting CAS throughout Op PITTING and Op SCORPIUS.

Air Cdre Bone is now Head of Operations, Plans and Training at UK Space Command.

He is a Tedder Fellow and has a Masters in International Relations and Politics from Trinity Hall, the University of Cambridge, where he is an elected Bateman Fellow. Bone is also a graduate of the ACSC and holds two further post graduate degrees in Defence and Intelligence related topics.

Betty Bonnardel-Azzarelli

Chairperson UK Chapter, Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI)
Betty Bonnardel-Azzarelli

Betty is the chair of the UK chapter of the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) and a founding member of WOMENVAI. She holds two Master of Science degrees in Aeronautical and Space Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration. A Fellow and Chartered engineer, Betty is a recipient of a British MBE for her activities in STEM and diversity.


Betty is the CEO and founder of B Corp and award-winning AB5 Consulting, delivering innovative solutions in satellite, space, telecoms, and energy sectors. Her experience includes the management of complex international projects in the satellite, aerospace, and nuclear sectors.

David Chinn

President-Elect, Royal Aeronautical Society
David Chinn

David Chinn is a career civil servant in the MoD who started his professional life working on experimental ejection seats at RAE Farnborough, after studying Engineering at Durham University.

He has had various postings in the UK and overseas, amongst other things working on Tornado, Typhoon and F-35. He is currently the MoD FCAS Technology Programme Manager. He has worked in NATO and EU agencies and completed advanced NATO and French military staff courses.

He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the RAeS, a Fellow of the IET and a member of the British Interplanetary Society, as well as a member, of the Association for Project Management. He has been active in the Society for many years and has helped establish and run several branches as well as supporting Specialist Groups. He has previously been a Trustee of the Society, a Trustee of the Confederation of European Aerospace Societies and has been a member of the Council for several years.

He is an active power and glider pilot.
 

David Dean

Chief Engineer, DSTL
David Dean

I am a Chief Systems Engineer with over 37 years of experience in the Defence and Security Environment, which has included MOD PE, DERA and QinetiQ.

I joined Dstl in 2004 and I have been an Operational Analyst, systems engineer and consultant. I was the Theme Advisor for Combat Identification and currently work in the Cyber and Information Systems Division as the Principal Advisor for MilSatCom within the Dstl Space Programme.

My current role includes leading national and international research activities, and providing support to the UK Skynet 6 programme and Space Command.

My main areas of interest include Space Hybrid Networks, future MilSatCom bearers, secure waveforms and space platform protection, and space industrial policy.

I was born in Romford, Essex; have degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Systems Engineering and am a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

 

Dr Chiara Palla

Co-lead, Women in Aerospace Europe - UK
Dr Chiara Palla

Current Position: PM at MDA Space and Robotics (MDA UK), Co-lead WIA-Europe UK

Dr Chiara Palla has been working as Project Manager at MDA UK since February 2020. She currently manages multiple projects focusing on the design and development of space sensors for exploration and on-orbit servicing missions, space-based communication technology and photonics payload. Her day-to-day job involves interactions with diverse teams, international space agencies, commercial customers and suppliers to ensure the programs are timely delivered.
Chiara also gained a Management and Leadership apprenticeship from CMI (Chartered Management Institute), while working at MDA.

She is co-lead for the non-profit organization WIA-Europe UK, which is committed to promoting female talent and leadership across all levels of the European aerospace sector.

Previously (2017-2020) she worked at the Space Magnetometer Laboratory of Space Physics group at Imperial College London as Space instrument engineer for Magnetometer payload on ESA RadCube Cubesat, Lagrange (now known as Vigil) and JUICE missions.

She holds a PhD from Cranfield University (2017) specialising in Space Debris Mitigation technologies for de-orbiting, during her doctorate she took part to ESEO (ESA Students Earth Orbiter) satellite as well as to the ESA Cleansat study. During the PhD, she also worked as part time President for the Cranfield University Student Association.

Her background is in Aerospace engineering and holds a MSc and a BSc from University of Padova in Italy.

Aside from the Space sector, Chiara is a qualified Ski Instructor with BASI.

Dr Joanna Hart

Director, Space Partnership
Dr Joanna Hart

Joanna thrives on bringing people together to address complex challenges and deliver change.

The Space Partnership equally represents industry, academia and government, enabling shared priorities to identified and collective action agreed so that the ambition contained within the National Space Strategy. Director is delivered. Joanna started in the role in March 2023 after nine years working across the space and innovation ecosystems, first at the Satellite Applications Catapult and then at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC, part of UK Research and Innovation).


As the Harwell Space Cluster Development Manager, Joanna worked with stakeholders to grow the Cluster from 80 organisations to over 100 today that collectively employ over 1,400 people (up from 800 in December 2017). As STFC’s Skills Factory Director, Joanna led the development of STFC’s Skills Factory proposal to address national technical skills shortages, resulting in a doubling of the STFC apprenticeship scheme.
With a first career in investment banking at UBS and Credit Suisse, a PhD in particle physics, Joanna has a strong financial and scientific background.

Dr Joanne Oliver

Director, SpaceCareers.uk
Dr Joanne Oliver

As Business Engagement Lead for the Satellite Applications Catapult, Joanne engages with SMEs both inside and outside the UK space sector to understand how the Catapult can best support business innovation and growth in space data and technology. She hosts numerous successful events such as Satuccino and connects businesses together within the UK space ecosystem. Analytical, inquisitive and adventurous; Joanne has a background in business and psychology. Extramurally, she is also working on the redevelopment and commercialisation of SpaceCareers.uk. Always passionate about helping others find their place in the space industry, Joanne is identifying how SpaceCareers.uk can support the sector for decades to come!

Dr Junayd Miah

Science Adviser, UK Space Command
Dr Junayd Miah

Dr Junayd Miah is a widely recognised UK space subject matter expert, having led the development and delivery of several critical space and ground segment capabilities for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). This includes leading the development of a £145 million, game-changing space programme for space-based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), demonstrating the UK government operating satellites for the first time in over 17 years, and helping deliver two satellite missions for R&D purposes, CIRCE and Prometheus-2 respectively. He currently serves as Science Adviser for UK Space Command to direct investment towards beneficial technologies for future space operations.

Dr Mamatha Maheshwarappa

Co-lead, Women in Aerospace Europe - UK
Dr Mamatha Maheshwarappa

Dr Mamatha Maheshwarappa is Payload Systems Lead at the UK Space Agency (UKSA). She provides technical leadership on various UKSA programmes and projects, by offering technical oversight/assurance. Also, the technical lead on UKSA’s initiative on Space Based Solar Power (SBSP).

Before this, she was the technical lead on SPEQTRE (Space Photon Entanglement Quantum Technology Readiness Experiment) satellite project and has worked on ESA's Sentinel 4 & 5 test campaigns at RAL Space. Mamatha has worked on transceivers for ExoMars and Lunar Polar Sample Return projects while at QinetiQ. She has a PhD in Software Defined Radios for Multi-Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey, UK. She was the technical lead for STUDSAT-1, India’s first pico-satellite, launched by Indian Space Research Organisation, listed in the Limca Book of Records.

Mamatha is the co-chair of the Women in Aerospace UK committee representing UKSA.

Dr Natasha Nicholson

Former Cluster Manager, Space Scotland and Director, Star Helix Consulting
Dr Natasha Nicholson

Natasha is the founding director and lead consultant of Star Helix Ltd. She has a PhD in Astrobiology from the University of Edinburgh, where she worked on an ESA mission for the International Space Station, looking at biofilm formation and biomining in altered gravity environments, specifically for In-Situ Resource Utilisation. During this time she worked with different European universities, lead a research mission on a parabolic flight campaign, and designed outreach activities that were delivered to schools across the UK, including a short film of astronaut Tim Peake aboard the ISS, reading a speech written by Natasha.

She has a BA(hons) in Literature where she compared Indian and African literature during and after colonisation, and an MSc in Environmental Science and Conservation, looking at tardigrade resistance to heavy metals. Her professional career has taken the learnings from her multidisciplinary experience and applied them to working across industry, academia and government agencies, and linking the Space, Health, Energy, Robotics, Sustainable Manufacturing, Photonics, FinTech, AgriTech, and Biotechnology technology sectors.

She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Commerce, and Manufacturings.

Dr Robert Massey

Deputy Executive Director, Royal Astronomical Society
Dr Robert Massey

Dr Robert Massey is Deputy Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society.


Robert began his career in astronomy at the Universities of Leicester and Manchester, completed his PhD studying the Orion Nebula, worked as a teacher in Brighton, and spent eight years at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where he developed an unbridled passion for bringing astronomy and space science to the wider public. These days he looks after the outward facing work of the Royal Astronomical Society, including being a standing guest on the number one Supermassive podcast, and enjoys the darker night skies of his new family home in Sussex.

 

Freya de Santis

C1 Space Capability International Partnering, Cap C4ISTAR – Space Capability , UK Strategic Command
Freya de Santis

Freya began her career as a Civil Engineer in North London but subsequently transferred to Defence Intelligence. She joined the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence as an Imagery Analyst graduating from the Defence Imagery Intelligence Course. She was fortunate to spend the majority of her time in the Critical National Infrastructure mission team, where she was able to put her expertise into practise, most notably on support to several Non-combatant Evacuation Operations as well as CSG21 and OP SCORPIOUS.


She was promoted into Intelligence Support to Targeting Effects as a Target Systems Analyst. In her role she was responsible for the production of Target Development Nominations across a range of thematic areas. She began 2023 by supporting the UK targeting enterprise capability development, assisting in the designing and delivery of a UK sovereign Target Systems Analysis course.


In her current role Freya is the International Partnering Lead for UK Strategic Command Space Capability Planning Group. She manages the International Portfolio by developing bi-lateral and multilateral agreements, as well as engaging with a range of partners and allies to drive forward the UK’s international by design principles in SATCOM and PNT.
 

Group Captain John Hetherington

Deputy Head Space Enablement, UK Space Command
Group Captain John Hetherington

Group Captain Hetherington completed his first tour as Officer Commanding General Duties Flight at RAF Wittering in 1999. He then took up a position as a Flight Commander on Recruit Training Squadron at RAF Halton. Subsequent tours as a junior officer included: Officer Commanding Works Services Flight at RAF Lyneham, followed by a staff tour as the military representative on the MOD Estates London project and at RAF Northolt as Officer Commanding Personnel Services Flight. He followed this with a tour at HQ Air Command in Air Personnel Casework before a short stint staffing Employment Tribunals for the RAF.


Hetherington was promoted to Squadron Leader in March 2010. Tours as a sqn ldr included Station Plans Officer at RAF Northolt, Officer Commanding Personnel Management Squadron at RAF Wittering and Chief of Staff to ACOS Personnel Policy at HQ Air Command.


In 2016 he was promoted to wing commander; he completed Advanced Command and Staff training in 2017 before being posted to MOD Main Building as SO1 Infrastructure Capability Plans. This role involved supporting Ministerial announcements in Parliament, briefing, and supporting Minister Defence People, Veterans and as the sole military staff office on the Defence Estates Optimisation project. He was assigned to be Officer Commander Base Support Wing at RAF Brize Norton in 2019 during which he supported the continued operations of the Air Mobility force during the COVID-19 pandemic and the evacuation of personnel from Afghanistan. Following a short tour as a wing commander in UK Space Command, he was promoted to Group Captain in 2022 and remined at the Command as Deputy Head Space Enablement.


His first operational overseas deployment was on Op RESONATE (SOUTH) in Saudi Arabia in early 2002 as the SO3 J1. In 2003, Hetherington deployed on Op TELIC with 102 Logistic Bd as SO3 Prisoner of War handling. His most recent deployment was in 2014 when he deployed to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan on Op HERRICK as SO2 Contract Support Officer in Joint Force Support.


He is married to Sarah, and they have 3 children: Annabel (1), William (15) and Joseph (10) Hetherington’s interests out of work focus primarily on football and history. He is a Director at the RAF Football Association, and is also a Trustee of St Clement Danes, the Central Church of the Royal Air Force.

Kathie Bowden

Skills Manager, Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd
Kathie Bowden

Kathie is the Skills Manager for the Satellite Applications Catapult, which she joined from the UK Space Agency. She works with partners across the sector (in industry, academia and government) through her involvement with the Space Skills Advisory Panel. She has a geological and Earth observation background and has worked in all facets of the sector. She is passionate about ensuring that the sector is welcoming and truly inclusive. One of her initiatives, of which she is most proud, is the national Space Placements in INdustry (SPIN) scheme, connecting bright and motivated students with placements in companies and other space organisations.

Kit Lee

Senior Advisor, Transformation Team, Manufacturing Technology Centre
Kit Lee

Kitluen has spent more than 20 years developing and manufacturing critical system products for many OEMs, including shut-down systems for UK nuclear power stations, and shakers used for test campaigns on spacecraft, satellites and mars rovers. He has a wealth of experience in high quality build of high electro-mechanical assemblies for both commercial and military applications. Current involvement has been in de-orbiting technologies for Astroscale for Active Debris Removal as part of space sustainability. As High Value Manufacturing Catapult Business Advisor he is helping all size of businesses to achieve increases in productivity, embrace innovation and develop sustainable practices.

 

Mr Cy Keogh

Senior Advisor - Business Transformation, Manufacturing Technology Centre
Mr Cy Keogh

Cy, has been designing and delivering Supply Chain programmes since 2008, for major firms in the Middle East whilst he was a visiting lecturer for an International College in Abu Dhabi. He was the owner manager of a tier 2 automotive components supplier and has 30 years’ industrial experience designing and delivering value-driven supplier improvement programmes. He was instrumental in developing the MTC’s Supplier Capability & Resilience Assessment (SCRA) tool, which has been used in 200 UK companies, in the Rail, Aerospace, Digital, & Space sectors. He is a regular panelist and speaker at conferences on space supply chains. Current supply chain assignments include Space-based Solar Power, Cybersecurity, Clean Energy Shipbuilding, Rail and Aerospace Defence. He has published work on supply chain readiness, space supply chains, and entrepreneurship.

Mr Jacob Smith

Director, SpaceCareers.uk
Mr Jacob Smith

Jacob is a Director of SpaceCareers.uk, a non-profit organisation supporting students and professionals throughout their careers in the space sector. He is also the founder of SpaceProjects.uk and a former Chair of UKSEDS. Jacob works for the Space Partnership as Space Partnership Lead, following roles at ESA Academy at SSTL.

Mr Joseph Dudley

Director and Co-Founder, Space Skills Alliance
Mr Joseph Dudley

Joseph is director of the Space Skills Alliance, a think-tank and consultancy working to address the skills shortages in the space sector. He has more than 10 years' experience working in space education and skills, and has been recognised with several space sector awards and an award from Prime Minister Theresa May.


He is the author of many articles and reports on skills, training, recruitment, and demographics in the UK space sector, as well as the Space Training Catalogue, a directory space training opportunities, and SpaceCRAFT, a space competencies framework. He previously founded SpaceCareers.uk, a leading space jobs website, and chaired UKSEDS, the national student space society.

Professor Anu Ojha OBE

Director - Championing Space, UK Space Agency
Professor Anu Ojha OBE

Professor Anu Ojha OBE is a member of the Executive Committee of the UK Space Agency and Director for the Championing Space Directorate. Included in his portfolio are leadership of the Agency’s International and ESA Policy teams as well as UKSA’s public/parliamentary affairs, communications and education/skills development/inspiration programmes.


Prior to joining the Agency in May 2023 he was the founder of the UK National Space Academy programme and a Director of the National Space Centre. Appointed Honorary Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester in 2016, he is a co-investigator in the University’s programme for nuclear power applications for exploration, was involved in data analysis from ESA’s Rosetta, Mars Express and SOHO missions and was Principal Investigator for the ESA/UKSA Astro Academy Principia education experiment suite conducted by Tim Peake during his mission to the International Space Station. He continues to teach on the University’s MSc course in Space Exploration Systems specialising in human survival in extreme environments and helped develop and teaches on the University’s new undergraduate-level Fundamentals of Space training course for space professionals.


From 2018 to 2023 he was a member of ESA’s Human Spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC) based at ESTEC. He was a member of the final site selection team for the ESA Rosalind Franklin mission targeted for the Oxia Planum region of Mars and has helped develop ESA’s science exploration strategies for the ESA Terra Novae programme. Since 2020 he has supported MOD Space Directorate and UK Space Command in a number of areas related to skills development and international perspectives through his long-standing experience as a member of the UK-China Joint Laboratory in Space Science and Technology and is a current member of STFC Council. He was also invited by the UK Secretary of State for Defence to contribute to the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.
Prior to joining the space sector in 2008 Anu spent fourteen years as a state high school science teacher and also with British Forces Cyprus. During this time he was appointed as National Lead Practitioner for Physics by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and was also Assistant Headteacher/Advanced Skills Teacher at the largest school in England at the time.


Anu has been a British Skydiving member since 2000, has completed over 1400 jumps and was involved as a science consultant for the Red Bull Stratos stratospheric skydive programme in 2012-12. Since 1993 he has led many high-altitude trekking expeditions in India and Nepal and his other interests include scuba/free diving, triathlon, amateur astronomy and contemporary world politics.

Soheil Mehrabanzad

Assistant Vice President - Business Development, Hughes
Soheil Mehrabanzad

Soheil Mehrabanzad serves as assistant vice president of Business Development for the Defense & Government System Division of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), focusing on technology strategy for civilian and defense client implementations. With expertise in broadband communications technologies and solutions for Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR), wireless networks and global foreign militaries, Mr. Mehrabanzad engages with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) clients to enable agile, secure, and resilient MilSatCom and enterprise digital solutions worldwide.

Throughout his career, Mr. Mehrabanzad has worked across the Hughes organization supporting programs for consumer, enterprise and operator markets, domestically and internationally. Prior to his current role, he helped established the company’s Africa/Middle East business from a base in the UAE. Previously, he supported solutions engineering and sales of wideband time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, packet switching networks, and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) projects.

Mr. Mehrabanzad earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Marymount University. He holds secret-level security clearance.

Consumers, businesses, governments and communities around the world benefit from the connected experiences enabled by Hughes technologies and services. To learn more, visit our website at www.hughes.com or follow us on Twitter @HughesConnects and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/HughesConnects.

Sonali Mohapatra

Director, Prospero Space Fellowship
Sonali Mohapatra

Dr Sonali Mohapatra is a Quantum Innovation Sector Lead at the NQCC leading and supporting the NQCC’s innovation strategy and sectoral engagement framework. She focuses on quantum computing use-case discovery and works with a variety of stakeholders such as government, policymakers, regulators, industry and academia to support the user journey from awareness to advocacy across a portfolio of sectors such as financial services, energy, healthcare, space and AI to deliver quantum readiness for the UK. Sonali has an interdisciplinary research background and extensive industry experience leading the technical development and commercialisation of early-stage quantum, space and AI technologies and has been part of the technical development of many world firsts.


Apart from that Sonali has extensive experience in the EDI sector, consulting extensively over the last 10 years. She is the Director of the Prospero Space Fellowship – a national space fellowship designed to tackle the current skills and talent gap in the UK space sector and has founded and chaired non-profits such as New Voices in Space for Space Scotland, QIndia and MTSN in the past.
 

Squadron Leader Becky Kirk

Space Systems SME, Royal Air Force
Squadron Leader Becky Kirk

Becky Kirk is a qualified and experienced Chartered Engineer with a strong background in space systems engineering. With many years of experience in the field, she has proven expertise in Systems Engineering processes and Satellite architecture.


Prior to her current role at e2E Services as a Deliver Manager and Engineering Consultant, Becky served in the Royal Air Force for 19 years, where she developed valuable leadership and teamwork skills that have been instrumental in her success as a space systems engineer. She spent time with NATO, DE&S and multiple overseas detachments.


Not wanting to leave the military fully, she remained as a Part Time Voluntary Reservist, where she now instructs on the Space Operations Courses and is assisting defence with their Space System requirements.
She has worked as a STEM Ambassador and is passionate about demonstrating the virtues of a career in this field.

Tales Gaspar

Programme Manager, UK SPF and Satellite, Tech UK
Tales Gaspar

Tales has a background in law and economics, with previous experience in the regulation of new technologies and infrastructure. In the UK and Europe, he offered consultancy on intellectual property rights of cellular and IoT technologies and on the regulatory procedures at the ITU as a Global Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI). Tales has an LL.M in Law and Business by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) and an MSc in Regulation at the London School of Economics, with a specialization in Government and Law.

Vanessa Viney

UK and US Innovation Manager, Airbus Defence and Space
Vanessa Viney

Vanessa is UK and US Innovations Manager at Airbus Defence and Space, based at the company’s UK HQ in Stevenage. With over 26 years’ experience in the aerospace sector and a MEng in Aerospace Systems Engineering, Vanessa has worked on Mission Systems design for Earth Observation satellites, Project Management, Bid Management and Product Management.


Today, she is responsible for a portfolio of Innovation projects and is experienced in Innovation methods and tools – she is a ThinkWrong facilitator, motivator and ecosystem connector. Vanessa is also involved in outreach activities – such as the UK Youth Rocketry Competition – and is a ‘Women in Defence’ mentor as well as an active member of the internal Equality and Gender Diversity Working Group.
 

Workshop agenda

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13:00

Registration

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13:30

Chair's Opening Remarks

Dr Joanna Hart, Director, Space Partnership

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13:40

Why Space – Exploring the Landscape and How You Can Get Involved

Professor Anu Ojha OBE, Director - Championing Space, UK Space Agency

  • Understanding the Landscape – Opportunities and Core Focus of the Space Sector
  • Experiences from the National Space Centre – gaining an interesting and fulfilling career
  • Highlighting the key needs and future growth opportunities that you can fulfil in your career
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    14:00

    Horizons without Limits: Equal Opportunities and Unlimited Global Possibilities

    Dr Mamatha Maheshwarappa, Co-lead, Women in Aerospace Europe - UK

  • Dispelling the myths about a career in space
  • Success stories of leading female leaders in aerospace
  • Mapping the global space industry – where can you fit in?
  • clock

    14:20

    Why is Defence Integral to Space?

  • The need for international and national defence
  • Introducing the intertwined history of space with the defence sector
  • The key space priorities for national and international security
  • Defence’s role in leading technological innovation
  • Air Commodore Adam Bone, Head of Operations, Plans, Enablement and Training, UK Space Command

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    14:40

    Panel Discussion: What Your Degree Doesn't Prepare You For

  • Filling the gap through work experience
  • Soft skills
  • Non-academic space information
  • Personal challenges presented by the workplace
  • Possibilities for career conversions
  • Dr Joanna Hart, Director, Space Partnership

    Dr Chiara Palla, Co-lead, Women in Aerospace Europe - UK

    Miss Holly Whitehouse

    Miss Holly Whitehouse, Chair, UKSEDS

    Sonali Mohapatra, Director, Prospero Space Fellowship

    Freya de Santis, C1 Space Capability International Partnering, Cap C4ISTAR – Space Capability , UK Strategic Command

    clock

    15:05

    Visit to Main Conference

    clock

    15:35

    Making a Success of the Graduate Job Search

    Mr Jacob Smith, Director, SpaceCareers.uk

  • Finding and identifying the jobs for you
  • Succeeding in the application process
  • Discussing current graduate and internship opportunities
  • clock

    15:55

    Extended Q&A: Careers Beyond the Cockpit

  • Assessing how many people are required for a successful launch
  • Identifying the key jobs and skill gaps that the industry is seeking to fill
  • Discussing the diversity of roles within the space industry
  • Highlighting employment opportunities around the world
  • Group Captain John Hetherington, Deputy Head Space Enablement, UK Space Command

    Kathie Bowden, Skills Manager, Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd

    Mr Joseph Dudley, Director and Co-Founder, Space Skills Alliance

    Tales Gaspar, Programme Manager, UK SPF and Satellite, Tech UK

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    16:20

    Extended Q&A: The Unusual Suspects: Careers Downstream & in the Wider Space Eco-System

  • What is ‘downstream’ and why is it important?
  • Illustrating the makeup of the space eco-system – why are SMEs important?
  • Addressing the unique benefits of working for SMEs
  • Betty Bonnardel-Azzarelli, Chairperson UK Chapter, Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI)

    Miss Joanne Oliver

    Miss Joanne Oliver, Director, SpaceCareers.uk

    Dr Robert Massey, Deputy Executive Director, Royal Astronomical Society

    David Chinn, President-Elect, Royal Aeronautical Society

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    16:45

    What Your Career Can Look Like: The Benefits of Multidisciplinarity'

    Dr Natasha Nicholson, Former Cluster Manager, Space Scotland and Director, Star Helix Consulting

  • Demonstrating how different personal roads can all lead to space
  • National and International Role Models Who Have Paved the Way in Space
  • Navigating the career landscape and understanding realistic pathways
  • Unlocking Your Potential: Utilising Challenges to Further Your Career
  • clock

    17:05

    Panel Discussion: Dual-Use Capabilities and Doubled Possibilities

  • Advantages of joining the dual-use workforce
  • Unique experiences only available in the defence sector
  • How to take the skills and experiences learnt in defence for future roles in civil space
  • Routes into Defence
  • Dr Joanna Hart, Director, Space Partnership

    Mr Cy Keogh, Senior Advisor - Business Transformation, Manufacturing Technology Centre

    Squadron Leader Becky Kirk, Space Systems SME, Royal Air Force

    Dr Junayd Miah, Science Adviser, UK Space Command

    Soheil Mehrabanzad, Assistant Vice President - Business Development, Hughes

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    17:30

    Panel Discussion: Leading Technological Innovation and Global Problem-Solving

  • Examining case studies of today’s technology led by space
  • Identifying key areas of technological development where space takes the lead
  • Discussing how civil and military space interact to drive technological innovation
  • Addressing sustainability challenges posed by and for the industry – and how technical innovation can address them
  • Dr Joanna Hart, Director, Space Partnership

    David Dean, Chief Engineer, DSTL

    Vanessa Viney, UK and US Innovation Manager, Airbus Defence and Space

    Kit Lee, Senior Advisor, Transformation Team, Manufacturing Technology Centre

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    17:55

    Chair's Closing Remarks & End of Stream

    Dr Joanna Hart, Director, Space Partnership


    Head of Operations, Plans, Enablement and Training
    UK Space Command
    Chairperson UK Chapter
    Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI)
    President-Elect
    Royal Aeronautical Society
    Chief Engineer
    DSTL
    Co-lead
    Women in Aerospace Europe - UK
    Director
    Space Partnership
    Director
    SpaceCareers.uk
    Science Adviser
    UK Space Command
    Co-lead
    Women in Aerospace Europe - UK
    Former Cluster Manager, Space Scotland and Director
    Star Helix Consulting
    Deputy Executive Director
    Royal Astronomical Society
    C1 Space Capability International Partnering, Cap C4ISTAR – Space Capability
    UK Strategic Command
    Deputy Head Space Enablement
    UK Space Command
    Skills Manager
    Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd
    Senior Advisor, Transformation Team
    Manufacturing Technology Centre
    Senior Advisor - Business Transformation
    Manufacturing Technology Centre
    Director
    SpaceCareers.uk
    Director and Co-Founder
    Space Skills Alliance
    Director - Championing Space
    UK Space Agency
    Assistant Vice President - Business Development
    Hughes
    Director
    Prospero Space Fellowship
    Space Systems SME
    Royal Air Force
    Programme Manager, UK SPF and Satellite
    Tech UK
    UK and US Innovation Manager
    Airbus Defence and Space

    The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

    Broad Sanctuary
    Westminster
    London SW1P 3EE
    United Kingdom

    The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

    Located opposite Westminster Abbey, the QEII Centre is less than a five minute walk from the Thames, and a two-minute walk from a royal park. Major train hubs within a 15-minute walk include Victoria, Charing Cross and Waterloo. Whilst there are five international airports with an hour’s transfer.
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    WHAT IS CPD?

    CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development’. It is essentially a philosophy, which maintains that in order to be effective, learning should be organised and structured. The most common definition is:

    ‘A commitment to structured skills and knowledge enhancement for Personal or Professional competence’

    CPD is a common requirement of individual membership with professional bodies and Institutes. Increasingly, employers also expect their staff to undertake regular CPD activities.

    Undertaken over a period of time, CPD ensures that educational qualifications do not become obsolete, and allows for best practice and professional standards to be upheld.

    CPD can be undertaken through a variety of learning activities including instructor led training courses, seminars and conferences, e:learning modules or structured reading.

    CPD AND PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES

    There are approximately 470 institutes in the UK across all industry sectors, with a collective membership of circa 4 million professionals, and they all expect their members to undertake CPD.

    For some institutes undertaking CPD is mandatory e.g. accountancy and law, and linked to a licence to practice, for others it’s obligatory. By ensuring that their members undertake CPD, the professional bodies seek to ensure that professional standards, legislative awareness and ethical practices are maintained.

    CPD Schemes often run over the period of a year and the institutes generally provide online tools for their members to record and reflect on their CPD activities.

    TYPICAL CPD SCHEMES AND RECORDING OF CPD (CPD points and hours)

    Professional bodies and Institutes CPD schemes are either structured as ‘Input’ or ‘Output’ based.

    ‘Input’ based schemes list a precise number of CPD hours that individuals must achieve within a given time period. These schemes can also use different ‘currencies’ such as points, merits, units or credits, where an individual must accumulate the number required. These currencies are usually based on time i.e. 1 CPD point = 1 hour of learning.

    ‘Output’ based schemes are learner centred. They require individuals to set learning goals that align to professional competencies, or personal development objectives. These schemes also list different ways to achieve the learning goals e.g. training courses, seminars or e:learning, which enables an individual to complete their CPD through their preferred mode of learning.

    The majority of Input and Output based schemes actively encourage individuals to seek appropriate CPD activities independently.

    As a formal provider of CPD certified activities, SAE Media Group can provide an indication of the learning benefit gained and the typical completion. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of the delegate to evaluate their learning, and record it correctly in line with their professional body’s or employers requirements.

    GLOBAL CPD

    Increasingly, international and emerging markets are ‘professionalising’ their workforces and looking to the UK to benchmark educational standards. The undertaking of CPD is now increasingly expected of any individual employed within today’s global marketplace.

    CPD Certificates

    We can provide a certificate for all our accredited events. To request a CPD certificate for a conference , workshop, master classes you have attended please email events@saemediagroup.com

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    Contact SAE Media Group

    UK Office
    Opening Hours: 9.00 - 17.30 (local time)
    SAE Media Group , Ground Floor, India House, 45 Curlew Street, London, SE1 2ND, United Kingdom
    Tel: +44 (0) 20 7827 6000 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7827 6001
    Website: http://www.smgconferences.com Email: events@saemediagroup.com
    Registered in England - SMi Group Ltd trading as SAE Media Group




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