Vertical Aerospace has appointed three senior leaders to support the next phase of development for its VX4 and hybrid-electric aircraft. Mark Higson steps in as chief operating officer, bringing over four decades of operational experience including roles at Modulaire Group, Wolseley UK and the Royal Mail. Originally an aerospace engineer, he began his career at British Aerospace.

Steve Vellacott joins as VP of airworthiness and head of design organisation, having most recently served as CTO and head of design at Lilium. Prior to that he spent more than 30 years at Leonardo Helicopters across civil and military programmes. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2018.

Eric Samson has been named VP programme-hybrid, having led the VX4’s design and certification work since joining in 2020. He previously held technical roles at Jet Aviation and Gulfstream Aerospace.

CEO Stuart Simpson says: “These appointments further reinforce our leadership bench as we accelerate into our next phase of growth and global deployment. Mark and Steve bring decades of deep operational and engineering expertise that will be instrumental in driving the certification and commercialisation of the VX4 at scale. Eric's focused leadership, technical insight and deep certification experience will be invaluable as we advance our hybrid-electric VX4 strategy and expand our market potential.”

The changes follow Vertical’s completion of the first piloted wingborne flight of a winged eVTOL in European public airspace, a milestone the company says reflects progress toward commercial readiness. Vertical remains on track to finish its test flight campaign in 2025, with certification and global deployment of the VX4 as key priorities.