Civil Aviation Authority Board & Executive Committee

Sir Stephen Hillier

Sir Stephen Hillier became Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority in 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. A decorated pilot and instructor on a wide range of aircraft types, he served in both Gulf Wars, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the US Bronze Star Medal. He held various command positions, including RAF Lossiemouth and No. 2 Group, and served in key roles at the Ministry of Defence, such as Director Information Superiority and Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Capability).

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

Hillier has been a trustee of Veterans Aid since October 2019 and, since 2021, has also been an honorary professor in the University of Birmingham’s School of Government.

His flying career started at age 17 when the CAA issued him his Private Pilot’s Licence.

Rob Bishton

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

He became Chief Executive after serving as Interim Joint Chief Executive 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. A qualified commercial pilot, Rob has more than 10,000 flying hours on B787 and B737 aircraft.

He has also represented the UK at the EASA Management Board and was formerly a Non-Executive Director of the UK Flight Safety Committee.

Tracey Martin

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

She was initially appointed as Interim Chief Finance Officer in May 2023.

Tracey brings 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.

Giancarlo Buono

Giancarlo Buono has been Group Director of Safety and Airspace Regulation and a Civil Aviation Authority Board member since January 2025.

A seasoned leader, Giancarlo's career spans both civil and military aviation. He joined the CAA from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), where he served as Regional Director for Safety and Flight Operations in Europe, working closely with international stakeholders to enhance operational safety and efficiency across the industry.

He holds a Master’s degree in Air Transport Management from City, University of London, and has completed an executive leadership programme at Harvard Law School.

Giancarlo started as an officer and pilot in the Air Force before transitioning to commercial aviation, where he held several senior positions prior to joining IATA.

Selina Chadha

Selina Chadha was appointed Group Director for Consumers & Markets and a member of the Civil Aviation Authority Board in August 2024.

Her role includes overseeing the Civil Aviation Authority’s economic regulation, competition, consumer protection, consumer enforcement activity, and the ATOL financial protection scheme.

Prior to joining the Civil Aviation Authority, Selina served as Director of Policy (Competition and Consumer) at Ofcom. Her time at Ofcom was marked by strategic leadership, a strong commitment to promoting investment and competition, and protecting consumers in the communications sector.

Katherine Corich

Katherine Corich was appointed as a Non-Executive Member of the Board in July 2019 and is the Senior Independent Director.

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

Katherine is currently Chair of the Sysdoc Group and IAP boards, and is a Non-Executive Director of MyWave Artificial Intelligence, the Pure Advantage Climate Change Think Tank, and Auckland University Business School.

A technology entrepreneur and trained commercial pilot, she was inducted into the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame in 2015 and has twice been named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year.

Professor Jordan Giddings

Professor Jordan Giddings was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Civil Aviation Authority Board in February 2025, leading on emerging technologies and innovation.

An experienced Board member and Chair, he now works primarily as an independent adviser. He serves as a Non-Executive Director for the Met Office, advises the UK Ministry of Defence and National Security Community on science and technology, and supports various start-ups, scale-ups, and consultancies. He is also a Visiting Professor at UCL and other academic institutions.

Recognised nationally and internationally, Jordan is a leader in innovation and change across systems, data, cyber, and technology. He specialises in dual-use and emerging technologies, complexity, AI, autonomy, and data science, fostering long-term collaboration between government, industry, and academia.

A Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Institute of Physics, and Royal Society of Arts, he is also a Chartered Physicist and Chartered Scientist. He holds an MA in Physics from the University of Oxford and a PhD in High Energy Particle Physics from the University of London.

Manny Lewis

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

He brings a wide range of skills and experience, having held numerous positions across the public sector and local government, including at Watford Borough Council, Essex Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust, and Habinteg Housing Association.

Anne Lambert

Anne Lambert CMG became a Non-Executive Member of the Board in February 2019.

She is also a Non-Executive Member of the Horseracing Betting Levy Board.

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

Her previous roles include the UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU and Director of 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 became a Non-Executive Member of the Civil Aviation Authority Board in June 2024.

She is a decorated Royal Air Force (RAF) officer with extensive experience in operations, command, and staff roles.

Suraya joined the RAF in 1994 as a Navigator, flying Tornado F3s and participating in numerous deployments, including the second Gulf War.

She has held various command positions, including Commandant of the RAF College and Air Officer Commanding No. 2 Group. In 2019, she directed Coalition Air Operations across the Middle East. She has also served in defence procurement, the Typhoon Force Headquarters, and the Ministry of Defence. Suraya is a Trustee of the Royal Air Force Museum.

She holds a Master’s in Defence Studies.

Trisha McAuley OBE

Trisha McAuley OBE was appointed as a Non-Executive Member of the Civil Aviation Authority Board in February 2025.

She brings expertise in consumer interests and serves on the CAA Audit Committee. Trisha has extensive experience as a Chair, Non-Executive Director, and independent consumer expert in regulated markets.

With over 20 years as a senior executive in UK and Scottish consumer organisations, she previously served as Scottish Director of Consumer Futures and was awarded an OBE for services to consumer affairs in 2015.

A strategic public policy leader, Trisha has worked with governments, regulators, and businesses. She is currently the Independent Chair of the National Grid Electricity Transmission Independent Stakeholder Group, Board Member for Scotland at Transport Focus, Independent Passenger Representative on the Department for Transport’s Rail Sector Transformation Board, Independent Chair of the Strategic Panel for the Business Retail Water Market in England, and an Ambassador for Women on Boards UK.

Jonathan Spence

Jonathan Spence joined the Civil Aviation Authority in January 2022.

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

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

Jonathan also attends the Civil Aviation Authority Board.

Ben Alcott

Ben Alcott joined the Civil Aviation Authority in 1998 following a career in the gas turbine industry.

He has held a number of management and leadership roles within the CAA, covering areas including propulsion, safety data, safety planning, personnel licensing, and oversight of approved training organisations. From November 2013 to November 2015, Ben led the CAA’s Performance-Based Regulation Programme – the transformation initiative to become a performance-based regulator.

In November 2015, Ben was appointed as the CAA’s first International Director. In 2023, he established the Professional Services Group, bringing together CAA International Limited (where he chairs the Board), the CAA’s Shared Service Centre, and other service-oriented teams.

Ben is also the Executive Committee sponsor for the CAA’s Customer Experience and Modernisation Programme, a Director of the CAA’s subsidiary Air Safety Support International, and Chair of the CAA’s Wellbeing Board.

Peter Drissell

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

Prior to this, Peter was Director of Security and Business Continuity at the Home Office, where he also served as HR Diversity Champion. Before joining the Civil Service, Peter had a 32-year career in the Royal Air Force, retiring as an Air Commodore in April 2007.

During his RAF career, he held a number of operational and staff appointments in the UK and overseas. His final posting combined the roles of Commandant General of the Royal Air Force Regiment and Air Officer RAF Police, following a year as Provost Marshal for the RAF.

Peter was a Director of Plan UK, an international children’s charity, for 10 years and a trustee of City & Guilds until 2014. He remains on its governing council.

In April 2024, Peter was appointed Honorary Air Commodore of No. 2624 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based at RAF Brize Norton.

Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson is Director for Communication, Strategy and Policy (CSP) at the Civil Aviation Authority and, as of March 2024, also serves as Chief of Staff, overseeing the function of the Chair and Chief Executive’s Office.

As Director of CSP, Tim is responsible for driving forward the regulator’s approach to major policy issues, including innovation, airspace modernisation, and consumer policy.

He joined the CAA in January 2014, having previously worked at NATS as Head of Strategy and subsequently Head of Regulation.

Earlier in his career, Tim held roles in Government, including at HM Treasury, the Shareholder Executive, and the Ministry of Defence.

Tim also attends the Civil Aviation Authority Board.

Tendai Mutambirwa

Tendai Mutambirwa is Head of Safety Operations at the Civil Aviation Authority, having joined the organisation in April 2023.

He is responsible for the effectiveness of safety oversight and monitoring functions across Flight Operations, Airworthiness, Medical, General Aviation, Airspace, Air Traffic Management, Aerodromes, Space, and Safety Assurance.

Before joining the CAA, Tendai was Director of Safety, Security and Compliance at Flybe Limited. His previous roles include Senior Vice President of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment at Rolls-Royce; Head of Safety, Security and Compliance at easyJet; and Europe Regional Quality and Safety Manager at Boeing.

Tendai has a multidisciplinary technical background, specialising in quality and safety transformation, management systems, compliance monitoring, risk and crisis management, and safety investigation. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Hertfordshire, with further qualifications from Cranfield University and the British Standards Institute.

Sophie O'Sullivan

Sophie O’Sullivan is Head of Future Safety and Innovation at the Civil Aviation Authority and a member of the senior executive team.

She leads the CAA’s Future of Flight Programme and the Future Safety and Innovation team.

Sophie joined the CAA in 2016 to lead the Corporate Strategy, Risk and Better Regulation function. In 2018, she moved into the Safety and Airspace Regulation Group to establish the RPAS Unit. In 2020, she merged this with General Aviation to form the RPAS and GA Unit. In 2023, she was appointed to lead the newly created Future Safety and Innovation team, establishing the Future of Flight Programme, which she now directs. In 2024, Sophie became a permanent member of the CAA Executive Committee.

She has extensive experience in technology, innovation and strategy. Prior to joining the CAA, Sophie spent a decade in the technology sector at Microsoft and IBM, in roles spanning strategy, consultancy, and team leadership across the UK and Europe.

Lucy Robbins

Lucy Robbins has been Director of People and Culture at the Civil Aviation Authority since April 2024 and is a member of the senior executive team.

She leads the delivery of the CAA’s people and culture strategy, bringing a wealth of experience in the field.

Before joining the CAA, Lucy spent 10 years at the Competition and Markets Authority, serving for the last six years as a member of the executive team and Board adviser on People and Culture.

Her earlier career included senior positions at the Care Quality Commission, Healthcare Commission, Save the Children, and the Metropolitan Police Service.

Matt Taylor

Dr Matt Taylor was appointed Chief Information Officer of the Civil Aviation Authority in 2018 and became a member of the Executive Committee in April 2024.

He is responsible for all aspects of technology provision to and by the Authority.

Following a brief academic career, Matt held various technology engineering and leadership roles in consultancy and financial services before joining the CAA in 2010. He has since held several positions across the organisation.