Ian Stammers

CIPD’s 2026 Resourcing and Talent Planning report found that only 16% of organisations in the UK planned their workforce more than two years ahead and 46% still approached recruitment on an ad hoc basis. This is even when 52% of organisations reported increased competition for qualified talent. This also seems to be a common factor within the space sector. A new contract is signed. Investment lands. A manufacturing facility gets the green light. Then comes the question: “How quickly can we...

Why rejecting experienced engineers could slow the next generation of missions Why Dismissing Engineers from Large Space Primes Is Costing You Talent “They’re a good systems engineer, but they’ve only worked at a prime.” I hear versions of this more often than I should. A candidate has spent years solving difficult spacecraft problems, perhaps on a GEO programme at Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, Northrop Grumman or Lockheed Martin. Yet the moment a smallsat company sees the employer and the...

For the inaugural edition of our Executive Spotlight series, I'm delighted to introduce Ross Barker. Over nearly three decades, Ross has built an exceptional career across sovereign, defence and commercial satellite operations, helping shape significant sovereign and commercial satellite programmes and organisations. From supporting the UK's Skynet programme early in his career, to establishing Yahsat's Satellite Operations organisation in the UAE from the ground up and later leading the...