Vaeridion has appointed Markus Kochs-Kämper as chief technology officer and Taco Stouten as chief commercial officer. The leadership changes come as the Munich-based company moves from research and development to the preliminary design phase and beyond.

Following the completion of its Series A funding and a pre-application contract with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Vaeridion is preparing to advance towards its first flight.

Kochs-Kämper, who previously served as VP engineering, has nearly 25 years of industry experience, including roles at Heart Aerospace and Deutsche Aircraft. He will now lead the engineering team towards a Preliminary Design Review by late 2025, overseeing technical and certification milestones.

Stouten, previously VP commercial, will direct sales and partnerships while managing the newly formed Dutch subsidiary in Delft. His experience includes commercial leadership positions at Airbus and Spairliners, a Lufthansa Technik and Air France KLM Engineering joint venture.

Co-founder and CEO Ivor van Dartel says, “Welcoming Markus and Taco to our management team comes at an exciting moment for Vaeridion as we accelerate toward product development and commercialisation.”

Dr. Sebastian Seemann, Vaeridion's co-founder and former CTO, is departing to pursue other opportunities after shaping the company’s early development, including securing the EASA contract and leading propulsion test campaigns.