Leadership

Ben Stern

Chair

Ben is the Chair of UKspace, having previously held the post of Vice-Chair since September 2024. Prior to that, he had been the Chair of UKspace’s Earth Observation Committee. As Vice-Chair, Ben chaired the UK Space Agency’s Space Skills Advisory Panel and represented industry on the Space Partnership and Space Industry Advisory Group.

Ben has over 20 years’ experience in commercial space and is currently a Key Account Manager for Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, a world-leading company in the field of small satellite space missions for commercial, institutional and defence customers for over 40 years.

Sharon Parker-Lines

Vice-Chair

Sharon Parker-Lines is Deputy Managing Director and Senior Vice President for Business Operations, Government & Regulatory Affairs at Astroscale UK. She leads the company’s operational performance and its engagement with government, regulators and international stakeholders, helping to shape the policy and licensing frameworks needed to support a sustainable space sector.

With over 30 years of leadership experience, Sharon specialises in scaling organisations, building high-performing teams and navigating complex regulatory environments. Her work sits at the intersection of industry and government, where she plays a key role in enabling commercial growth in emerging space markets.

A recognised voice in the sector, Sharon regularly speaks on space sustainability, in-orbit servicing, and the future of the space economy. Before taking over as Vice Chair of UKspace, Sharon served as Vice Chair of the organisation’s Government Relations Committee, contributing to the development of UK space policy and industry engagement at a national and international level.

Doug Liddle

Treasurer

Doug was Chair of UKspace from September 2024 until September 2026, following a two-year term as Vice-Chair. He was formerly Director of Space at BAE Systems, and CEO at In-Space Missions, which he co-founded in 2015.

He has huge experience in the space sector, having worked for the Defence Research Agency (now QinetiQ) and Surrey Satellites, before establishing In-Space Missions to develop new space-enabled services and offer expert consultancy to industry, academia and government. In 2021, BAE Systems acquired In-Space Missions.

Doug also chairs the UK’s Space Skills Advisory Panel which provides pan-sector leadership to address the space sector’s skills challenges.

Colin Baldwin

Executive Director

Colin is UKspace’s Executive Director – a role that he took up in July 2024, having originally joined the organisation as Head of Policy in 2022.

Prior to joining UKspace, Colin was Head of Local Growth Strategy at the UK Space Agency where he was responsible for developing space clusters across the country, fostering university-business collaborations and supporting space start-ups and scale-ups.

Whilst at the UK Space Agency, Colin 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. He is a strong advocate of technology transfer and knowledge exchange.

Stephanie Ayres

Head of Policy

Stephanie Ayres joined UKspace in July 2024 as Head of Policy, bringing a wealth of experience coordinating policy and procurement campaigns in the defence and aerospace sector.

Having completed her degree in International Relations and Security Studies at the University of Warwick, Stephanie spent several years working in the Western Australian State Government and the UK House of Commons, before moving to the private sector to work with large defence and aerospace organisations.

Prior to joining UKspace, she worked for the Aerospace Corporation, coordinating its UK public affairs and communications.

Gemma Wilson

Membership & Marketing Manager

Gemma has worked in the space sector for ten years, supporting companies of all sizes through her roles in the ESA Business Incubation Centre, Satellite Applications Catapult and most recently as Harwell Space Cluster Manager. In her role as UKspace Membership and Marketing Manager, Gemma will contribute to UKspace’s work growing the UK space industry and our members’ businesses, while developing new approaches to enhance support for all our members across the UK.​

Damian Schogger

Press & Media Lead

Damian has been working with UKspace for over a decade managing media activities and digital communications. He has nearly 20 years’ experience in the space sector, as well as with other industries, bringing a wealth of communications knowledge relating to website management, copywriting and content generation, social media strategy, thought leadership, media relations and brand consultancy.

Jessika Bhatia

Admin Assistant

Jessika works across a range of UKspace activity, supporting member engagement, communications, marketing and wider organisational projects. With several years of experience in and around the space sector, her background spans marketing, communications and industry engagement. She also holds a degree in Psychology, bringing a strong understanding of people and communication to her role.

Doug Liddle

Director

Doug was Chair of UKspace from September 2024 until September 2026, following a two-year term as Vice-Chair. He was formerly Director of Space at BAE Systems, and CEO at In-Space Missions, which he co-founded in 2015.

He has huge experience in the space sector, having worked for the Defence Research Agency (now QinetiQ) and Surrey Satellites, before establishing In-Space Missions to develop new space-enabled services and offer expert consultancy to industry, academia and government. In 2021, BAE Systems acquired In-Space Missions.

Doug also chairs the UK’s Space Skills Advisory Panel which provides pan-sector leadership to address the space sector’s skills challenges.

Ben Stern

Director

Ben is the Chair of UKspace, having previously held the post of Vice-Chair since September 2024. Prior to that, he had been the Chair of UKspace’s Earth Observation Committee. As Vice-Chair, Ben chaired the UK Space Agency’s Space Skills Advisory Panel and represented industry on the Space Partnership and Space Industry Advisory Group.

Ben has over 20 years’ experience in commercial space and is currently a Key Account Manager for Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, a world-leading company in the field of small satellite space missions for commercial, institutional and defence customers for over 40 years.

Colin Baldwin

Director

Colin is UKspace’s Executive Director – a role that he took up in July 2024, having originally joined the organisation as Head of Policy in 2022.

Prior to joining UKspace, Colin was Head of Local Growth Strategy at the UK Space Agency where he was responsible for developing space clusters across the country, fostering university-business collaborations and supporting space start-ups and scale-ups.

Whilst at the UK Space Agency, Colin 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. He is a strong advocate of technology transfer and knowledge exchange.

Sharon Parker-Lines

Observer

Sharon Parker-Lines is Deputy Managing Director and Senior Vice President for Business Operations, Government & Regulatory Affairs at Astroscale UK. She leads the company’s operational performance and its engagement with government, regulators and international stakeholders, helping to shape the policy and licensing frameworks needed to support a sustainable space sector.

With over 30 years of leadership experience, Sharon specialises in scaling organisations, building high-performing teams and navigating complex regulatory environments. Her work sits at the intersection of industry and government, where she plays a key role in enabling commercial growth in emerging space markets.

A recognised voice in the sector, Sharon regularly speaks on space sustainability, in-orbit servicing, and the future of the space economy. Before taking over as Vice Chair of UKspace, Sharon served as Vice Chair of the organisation’s Government Relations Committee, contributing to the development of UK space policy and industry engagement at a national and international level.