Vertical Aerospace appoints former Airbus boss Fabrice Brégier as company Chair

Vertical Aerospace has announced the appointment of Fabrice Brégier as Chair of its Board of Directors, effective 21st September 2026.

Fabrice has more than three decades of experience spanning commercial aviation, helicopters, defence and advanced technology. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Commercial Aircraft from 2012 to 2016 and as Chief Operating Officer of Airbus Group and President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft from 2017 to 2018, having previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Airbus from 2006 to 2012, where he led the development of the A350 programme and the operational turnaround of Airbus. Before that, he was President & CEO of Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters), overseeing its civil and military businesses.

Earlier in his career, Fabrice served as Chief Executive Officer of Matra BAe Dynamics and subsequently MBDA, overseeing complex multinational defence programmes and the integration of Europe’s leading missile businesses. More recently, he served as President of Palantir Technologies France from 2018 to 2024, bringing experience at the intersection of defence, data and AI.

Fabrice is a non-executive director of Safran SA, a global aerospace, defence and aircraft-equipment technology group, ENGIE SA, a global low-carbon energy and energy-services company leading the energy transition and non-executive Chair of SCOR SE, a global provider of reinsurance and insurance solutions.

How the appointment will help expand hybrid-electric and autonomous capabilities

His appointment comes as Vertical enters its next phase of development, focused on certification and commercialisation of the all-electric Valo aircraft while expanding the potential of its aircraft platform across hybrid-electric, autonomous and defence applications, including its collaboration with Near Earth Autonomy and the UK Ministry of Defence‘s confirmed interest in Vertical’s hybrid-electric and autonomous capabilities.

Stuart Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of Vertical Aerospace, said: “We have proven our technology in flight and are now focused on turning that progress into a certified aircraft and a scaled global aerospace business. Few executives have Fabrice’s breadth of experience across the areas that matter most to our future. He has led Airbus and Eurocopter, delivered the A350 and led the integration of Europe’s missile businesses at MBDA and worked at the forefront of AI and advanced technology with Palantir.

“That experience is particularly relevant as the opportunities for Vertical expand. Alongside certification and commercialisation of Valo, we are developing hybrid-electric and autonomous capabilities, seeing growing interest from defence customers and building the charging and airspace ecosystem needed to operate electric aircraft at scale. Fabrice’s experience will be enormously valuable as we turn those opportunities into a global aerospace business.

“I also want to thank Ben Story, who has led the Board as interim Chair since May and who continues as a member of the Board.”

Ben Story, Interim Chair, said: “Fabrice is one of the most accomplished aerospace leaders of his generation. His firsthand experience leading a global OEM through complex aircraft programmes, industrial transformations and international growth will be highly valuable to Vertical as the Company executes the next phase of development.”

Upon Fabrice’s appointment, Ben Story will remain a member of the Board following the conclusion of his role as Interim Chair.

Moving towards certification and commercialisation

Fabrice Brégier said: “Vertical has reached an exciting point in its journey. The progress the team has made in flight testing demonstrates the maturity of its technology, while its work in hybrid-electric flight, autonomy and defence shows the much broader potential of the platform.

“I have spent much of my career bringing complex aerospace technologies to market, scaling aircraft programmes and building international businesses around them. In my view, Vertical combines exceptional talent, the best product and the most robust strategy to create a category-defining aviation business. I look forward to working with Stuart, the Board and the wider Vertical team as the Company moves towards certification and commercialisation.”