Steve Vellacott brings decades of experience in structural engineering and design, including significant expertise leading electric and other complex VTOL programmes. He joins Vertical from Lilium where he was Chief Technology Officer and Head of Design, overseeing the team responsible for the design, development and certification of its eVTOL aircraft. Prior to Lilium, Steve spent over three decades at Leonardo Helicopters, holding a variety of leadership roles across its international civil and military programmes, where he worked closely with EASA around certification and compliance of the aircraft. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2018.