“I grew up in Hastings and was at primary school there when SSTL was formed in 1985. I later read Mechanical Engineering at Hertfordshire University and began my career as a Design Engineer at DuPont before finding my way into the space sector with EADS Astrium Stevenage (now Airbus) as a Stress Engineer working on telecommunication satellites.
I joined SSTL in 2005, back when we were still based on the University of Surrey campus. My first role was heavily involved in the development of the ESA Giove-A mission.. a landmark programme for SSTL that successfully registered the frequencies for Europe’s Galileo navigation system. After a few years in Mechanical Engineering, I moved across to Business Development and Sales, where I’ve remained ever since.
Across these years I’ve represented the company in Latin America, across Asia, and now predominantly in the UK and Europe, leading our engagement with both the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency. I absolutely love the people I work with - and the many I’ve had the privilege to work with all over the world. SSTL attracts an extraordinary mix of highly capable, slightly unconventional characters, and they’ve shaped me more than they know.
Doing cool things has been something of a constant. When I joined, hardly anyone else was building small satellites, institutional interest was low, CubeSats were barely out of infancy and SSTL was the outlier preaching a new economics of space. Since then, modern electronics have transformed what’s possible, private finance has become more accessible, and the commercial sector has exploded. It’s been an incredible journey to witness first-hand.”
Huge thanks to Ben for sharing his story - and for almost two decades of quietly influencing, representing and championing SSTL on every continent he’s stepped onto. Another great chapter in our 40-year celebration of the people who make this place what it is.