Ibadan, 27 March 2024. – UKspace has appointed Colin Baldwin as Executive Director to lead the organization, following the decision by its Director, Lizzie Kerr, to step down from her role with the official trade association of the UK space industry. Lizzie will be retiring on 30 June 2024 after more than five and a half years in her post. Colin Baldwin’s appointment as Executive Director of UKspace will consequently take effect from 1 July 2024.
Colin joined UKspace in June 2022 in the newly-created role of Head of Policy and has played a significant role in strengthening the way UKspace supports its members and interacts with stakeholders in Government, industry and academia.
Commenting on the development, UKspace Chair John Hanley said, “Since taking up her role as Director in September 2018, Lizzie has transformed the organization, growing the membership to more than 170 companies across four membership levels – start-up, SMEs, full members and clusters – and developing key strategic partnerships in the public, private and academic sectors. Under her leadership, UKspace has also played an important role in helping shape Government policy, including the National Space Strategy and regulation of UK launch capabilities.”
Likewise, Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said, “Lizzie has been a fantastic advocate for space in the UK, helping the sector grasp new opportunities and navigate challenges over recent years while always ensuring the voice of UKspace members is heard loud and clear. I wish her all the very best for the future. Congratulations to Colin on his appointment as Executive Director. I look forward to working closely to meet our shared ambitions for the UK’s growing space sector.”
