Civil Aviation Authority Board & Executive Committee

Sir Stephen Hillier

Sir Stephen Hillier became Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority on 1 August 2020.

He previously had a long career in the Royal Air Force, eventually becoming Chief of the Air Staff, the head of the Service. He has extensive military flying experience as a pilot and instructor on a wide range of aircraft types, although his flying career started at age 17 when the CAA issued him his Private Pilot’s Licence.

He also has wide experience of leading large, complex and high-profile portfolios and programmes, and of change and risk management within regulated environments.

Rob Bishton

Rob Bishton is the Chief Executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority and has held the role since 21 October 2023.

Rob became Chief Executive after holding the Interim Joint CEO position between April and October 2023.

Appointed to the Board as Group Director of Safety and Airspace Regulation in November 2019, Rob has been at the CAA since 2014, and previously held the role of Head of Flight Operations.

He has extensive experience in the aviation industry, including positions at Fastjet, Astraeus and easyJet. Rob, as a qualified commercial pilot, has more than 10,000 flying hours on B787 and B737 aircraft. 

Rob has also represented the UK at the EASA Management Board and was formerly a NED of the UK Flight Safety Committee.

Tracey Martin

Tracey Martin was appointed Chief Finance Officer and a member of the Civil Aviation Authority Board on 20 September 2023. 

Tracey was initially appointed as interim Chief Finance Officer in May 2023. 

Tracey brings her vast experience to the role, having previously held senior executive finance positions at Bristol Health, the Gambling Commission, NHS England, North Wales Police, and, more recently, the British Transport Police. 

Katherine Corich

Katherine Corich was appointed as a Non-Executive member of the Board on 1 July 2019.

She serves on the Audit and Remuneration Committees. She has extensive experience of corporate governance, performance/risk-based regulation and aviation safety, serving on public, corporate, academic and third sector boards.

She is currently Chair of the Sysdoc Group and IAP boards, and is a non-Exec director of MyWave Artificial Intelligence, Pure Advantage Climate Change Think Tank and Auckland University Business School.

Katherine is a technology entrepreneur and trained commercial pilot. She was inducted into the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame in 2015 and has been twice named as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year.

Manny Lewis

Manny Lewis was appointed as a Non-Executive member of the Board in October 2021, serving as a Non-Executive Director leading on people, change and business excellence.

Manny brings with him a wide array of skills and experience having worked in numerous positions across the public sector and local government, including Watford Borough Council, Essex Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust and Habinteg Housing Association.

Jane Hanson CBE

Jane was appointed as a Non-Executive member of the Board on 1 September 2021.

Jane also serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee which helps direct the Civil Aviation Authority’s corporate governance, internal control frameworks and oversees the financial audit processes.

A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Jane brings a wealth of experience at Board level, holding Executive, Non Executive Director, Chair and Chair of Audit Committee positions at several large and regulated organisations during her career including Aviva plc, Welsh Water plc, Direct Line Group plc, John Lewis Partnership and HM Treasury. Other roles have included Honorary Treasurer at the Disasters Emergency Committee, Chair of the Reclaim Fund and Chair of the Government’s Dormant Asset Expansion Board, Chair of the Bardi Symphony Orchestra.

Jane qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, latterly leading the advisory practice for the delivery of Corporate Governance, Internal Audit and Risk Management advisory services in the North of England.

She has extensive experience in Enterprise Risk Management, Corporate Governance and Internal Control frameworks in predominantly heavily regulated sectors. Jane is also a Magistrate. In 2022 she received a CBE for services to the charitable sector.

Anne Lambert

Anne Lambert CMG was appointed as a Non-Executive Member of the Board on 1 February 2019.

She is currently also a non-executive member of the Horseracing Betting Levy Board.

She was an Inquiry Chair at the Competition and Markets Authority 2014 to 2019 and a Non-Executive Director of the CMA from 2016 to 2018.

Previous roles include the UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU and Director, European and Government Affairs for NATS. She also works as a freelance trainer on negotiating skills.

Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall

Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall was appointed to the Board in June 2024.  Suraya is Assistant Chief of the Air Staff and has worked in the Air Force since 1994.

Jonathan Spence

Jonathan Spence joined the Civil Aviation Authority in January 2022.

His responsibilities include leading the in-house legal and enforcement teams, internal audit team and ensuring that the CAA properly identifies and addresses legal risks. Jonathan is also a trustee of the UK’s Air Travel Trust.

Prior to joining the CAA, Jonathan was a Legal Director at the Office for Gas and Electricity Markets, advising on public law, competition law and regulation.  Jonathan started his career in private practice working for a number of leading competition law practices in the City.

Jonathan also attends the Civil Aviation Authority Board.

Tim Johnson

Tim is the Director for Strategy, Policy and Communications at the Civil Aviation Authority, responsible for driving forward the regulator's approach to major policy issues including EU Exit, innovation, airspace modernisation and consumer policy.

Prior to joining the CAA in January 2014, he was Head of Strategy and latterly Head of Regulation at NATS.

His earlier career was spent in Government, and included posts at HM Treasury, the Shareholder Executive and the MoD.

Tim also attends the Civil Aviation Authority Board.

Tendai Mutambirwa

Tendai Mutambirwa is the Interim Group Director of Safety and Airspace at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, taking on the role in 2023.

Tendai also attends the Civil Aviation Authority Board.

Lucy Robbins

Lucy Robbins was appointed Director of People and Culture in April 2024.

Prior to her appointment, Lucy worked at the Competition and Markets Authority.

Ben Alcott

Ben Alcott joined the UK CAA in 1998 following a career in the gas turbine industry.  Ben has held a number of management and leadership roles in the UK CAA, covering areas from propulsion, safety data and safety planning, to personnel licensing and oversight of approved training organisations.  From Nov 2013-Nov 2015 Ben led the UK’s CAA’s Performance Based Regulation Programme, the UK CAA’s transformation programme to be a performance based regulator. 

In November 2015 Ben was appointed to his current role as the CAA’s first International Director, leading the newly created International Group with accountability for the CAA’s advisory arm (CAAi), the CAA’s State Safety Partnership programme and engagement with international institutions such as EASA, ICAO and the European Parliament.

Peter Drissell

Peter was appointed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as its first Director of Aviation Security in 2013 and led the transition of operational aviation security functions from the Department for Transport (DfT) to the CAA on 1st April 2014.

In February 2015, he took on the additional role of Director CAA Transformation Programme.

Prior to his appointment, Peter was Director of Security & Business Continuity for the Home Office. He was also the Home Office HR Diversity Champion. Prior to this, Peter had served for 32 years in the Royal Air Force from which he retired as an Air Commodore in April 2007.

In his military career, Peter served in a number of operational and staff appointments within the UK and overseas. After a year serving as Provost Marshal for the RAF, his last appointment combined the roles of Commandant General of the Royal Air Force Regiment and Air Officer RAF Police.

Until 2014, Peter was a Director of Plan UK, an international children’s charity, a position he had held for some 10 years, and until 2014 had been a trustee of the City and Guilds; he remains on the governing council of that organisation.