Prior to his appointment in June 2018, Simon was Group Chief Executive of BBA Aviation plc for 10 years, a FTSE 150 listed, US-based group that employs some 14,000 people at over 200 locations around the world. Simon led the migration and growth of BBA Aviation from a financial conglomerate to the world’s leading aviation support and aftermarket services company.

Simon is currently a Non-Executive Director of Electrocomponents plc, is Chairman of its Remuneration Committee and is a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees. He was appointed to the Board in September 2016.

Simon is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. Simon qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the UK before working at the global investment banking firms of Lazards and JP Morgan, in London and New York, and at the international automotive and engineering group GKN plc in the UK and Germany in a range of international corporate finance, finance and general management roles. Simon has also chaired or been on the Board of numerous trade bodies including the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and was an Associate Director of Alvis plc prior to its acquisition by BAe in 2004. Simon is a member of the Council of the University of Reading, Chairman of its Investment Committee and a member of its Strategy and Finance Committee.

Jos has 20 years’ experience in industrial and engineering multi-national companies. He has held senior financial, strategic, operational, risk and legal roles in ICI, Akzo Nobel, GKN and BP, both in the UK and in Asia Pacific. Jos has extensive experience in finance, strategic planning, transformation, M&A and driving operational and commercial performance.

Chris is a highly skilled marketing professional having held senior marketing and general management roles within leading international engineering groups. Chris has a proven track record of driving sustainable business growth through the development of competitive and corporate strategies across both defence and commercial sectors.

Chris began his career as an electronics design engineer at Thorn EMI Defence Systems in 1982 before moving to EEO Plc in 1987 and then the Swiss engineering group, SIG Positec as UK General Manager in 1989. In 1995, Chris joined Quadramatic Plc as Marketing and Sales Director before becoming Managing Director at Rhopoint Group in 1999. This lead to his participation in a management buy-in of the specialist electronics group, Sequoia Technology in 2002. In 2006, Chris joined Ultra Electronics to lead the new High Integrity Control Systems team based at CCS and establish a new nuclear business unit to develop Ultra’s capabilities in reactor instrumentation & control through a combination of organic and acquisitive growth. In 2012, Chris took on an encompassing role of Group Nuclear Strategy Director and in 2014, was promoted to Divisional Marketing Director for Aerospace and Infrastructure and then Corporate Marketing Director in June 2017.

Richard is a Chartered Management Accountant and has over 20 years’ experience in financial leadership, M&A, corporate development and strategy deployment.

Prior to joining Ultra Electronics in June 2019, Richard was Senior Vice President of Finance for the Polymers and Composites division of Meggitt PLC, a FTSE 150 global aerospace and defence company. In this role, Richard was a member of the senior leadership team with primary financial accountability for a £400m revenue business employing 3,400 people across 11 manufacturing sites in the UK, US and Mexico. Richard has also held senior roles within UBS Global Asset Management and Rolls-Royce plc. 

Steve is a commercially experienced HR leader with over 20 years cross-industry HR experience working within three top tier global organisations before joining Ultra as Chief HR Officer. He has operated as an active member of Executive Board’s for the last seven years and has led through significant change and transformation programmes across the business.

Prior to joining Ultra, Steve held a number of roles within PepsiCo including Head of HR for the UK business as part of the UK Executive team, leading the HR function and setting the HR strategy for the business, and as HRVP for Core Services in Europe, helping to implement the new HR operating model and then leading an HR team of over 250 to execute HR activities across the talent management, total reward, culture & engagement, HR operations and learning & development agenda.

Steve was appointed to the role of Chief HR Officer for Ultra in November 2018 with responsibility for setting and then delivering the Global HR strategy for the organisation over the next several years.

Louise Ruppel joined Ultra in January 2019. She trained as a solicitor at UK city firm Slaughter and May where she qualified into the corporate department. She subsequently worked as an in house lawyer at Merrill Lynch & CO., Limited in Lodndon and worked for FirstGroup plc as Company Secretary and Group Legal Director until 2016, when she left to become General Counsel and Company Secretary at Manchester Airports Group.

Graeme Stacey has spent his career engineering technologies for mission critical commercial applications. He developed growth strategies to access new markets in China, the Middle East and Africa and has a track record of building businesses with strong leadership teams.

Graeme Stacey graduated in Electrical & Electronic Engineering in 1987 and specialised in his early career in software systems to optimise the performance of railways and airports. In 2000 he led Ultra’s successful bid to become Systems Integrator for the construction of London Heathrow T5; subsequently leading the client’s team which developed the programme’s integration requirements and strategies. Appointed Managing Director of the Airport Systems business in 2004, he broadened Ultra’s portfolio of product technologies and established a global market position offering fully managed services. Promoted to Divisional MD in 2010 he has led the continued growth of Ultra’s market share in the transport and energy sectors.

Mike Baptist brings a wealth of systems engineering and business acumen developed within defence, security and aerospace. He has a track record of major programme delivery, team development and business growth, always seeking to innovate to deliver solutions to our customers.

Mike Baptist started his career at Thorn EMI (Radar Division) as a graduate engineer in 1987, before moving to Dowty as an Engineer within Sonar & Communication Systems in 1989, working on crypto and sonobuoy receivers. From 1990 to 1996 he worked on aircraft Active Noise Control Systems, achieving the Queens Award for Technology in 1996 and became the Head of Engineering at Ultra Noise & Vibrations Systems business. Mike returned to Sonar & Communication Systems in 1996 as Chief Engineer and was Engineering Director between 1999 and 2002. In 2002 he became business unit director for the Communication Systems business and in 2007 with the formation of the Communications & Integrated Systems business, became Managing Director. He was appointed to a divisional Managing Director role in August 2014.

Thomas link has worked for Ultra Electronics for over 25 years, focusing his career in electronics, anti-submarine warfare systems, and maritime domain missions. He leads a diverse portfolio of eight operating businesses located in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia, which deliver innovative solutions for customers around the world.

Thomas holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has held a variety of positions at Ultra Electronics, including Programme Management, Business Unit Vice President, Vice President of Programmes, and President (2017) of Ultra Electronics USSI, located in Columbia City, Indiana. Thomas has also held positions on various boards, including the President of ERAPSCO (a Joint Venture between Ultra Electronics USSI and Sparton Electronics), and Vice President of Ultra Electronics Defence Inc.

Thomas was appointed to the role of Interim Divisional President in 2018.