Committee

Graham Brown

Chair

Graham has served as a director of a wide range of international and British businesses in the technology, manufacturing, services, e-retail and financial services sectors. His breadth of experience includes business development, marketing, acquisitions, turnaround as well as fund raising and investment in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia Pacific markets.Graham’s most recent role was as Group CEO of an aluminium powder coating business where he continues part time as non-executive Chairman and as Vice-Chairman of Qualicoat, the industry standards organisation.  Earlier in his career Graham was CEO of an FCA authorised and regulated financial services firm and member of the London Stock Exchange.Growing up in the Middle East, Graham has lived in Germany, Singapore and the USA. Graham read Applied Psychology for a BSc (Tech) Hons at the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Contact: graham.brown@arpas.uk

Anne-Lise Scaillierez

CEO

Anne-Lise Scaillierez is partner at The Drone Office, a consulting company specialising in aerial drones. She is a qualified small unmanned aircraft system SUAS pilot and the company holds a Operational PDRA01 with the CAA.Anne-Lise is involved in several medical drone delivery projects. She is qualified under IATA Category 6 Dangerous Goods Transport by Air training. She co-published “Drone Professional 1” with editor Louise Jupp in 2020, # 1 in Aviation Piloting & Flight Instruction on Amazon USA, and published “Drones in Medical Logistics” in 2019 with Cerba HealthCare.As a director of ARPAS-UK, the UK not-for-profit trade association, she plays an active role in providing fair and balanced intelligence to national stakeholders to support the industry.Anne-Lise draws on 25 years of professional experience in Technology and Defence & Aerospace industries, including in the advancement of autonomous systems, and has experience in BVLOS flight in Europe.

Contact: anne-lise.scaillierez@arpas.uk

Rupert Dent

Director, Policy & Regulations

Rupert co-founded AM-UAS Ltd (now Bridgeway Aerial Ltd) in November 2010 and has been the Managing Director and Accountable manager since.  Bridgeway Aerial Ltd is an RPAS operator with a focus on the railway, solar, environmental and construction sectors.Previously the Accountable Manager and Managing Director of Air Medical Ltd., the UK’s largest fixed wing air ambulance operator, in his earlier career Rupert was a Director of SBC Warburg and then SG Investment Banking.

Contact: rupert.dent@arpas.uk

Aleks Kowalski

Director

Aleks is a British Airways captain with 13 years service. He has contributed to BSI, ECITB, OGUK Standards, sits on the DfT Drone Industry Action Group and is an Air Traffic Committee representative for the pilot’s Professional Association (BALPA). In 2014 Aleks co-founded UAVAir (NQE), which became Consortiq and has subsequently developed a software division. Aleks has an Engineering degree (MA) from Cambridge University, and a PGCE in Mathematics (Cantab).Having seen the influence an effective trade association can have at government level, Aleks looks at the longer-term strategic importance for ARPAS-UK in bring together all UAS pilots, large and small, the ecosystems around them - whilst highlighting the value of education to make drones a career path - not just a part-time opportunity for the majority of those going through their training.

Contact: aleks.kowalski@arpas.uk

Chris Daniels

Director

Chris is a strategic advisor on commercialising start-ups and scale-ups, focused on aerospace & defence and Machine Learning and Big Data Tech, who holds a number of Directorships. His main role currently being Chief Commercial Officer at Flare Bright, a tech and software machine learning assurance company for the drone and UAM industry. Chris is also on the Executive Team of the ADS Group’s Drone Platform and Counter Drone Group and is a member of its Security Sector Board. He was asked to be a judge for Airwards in 2022, and joins the leading drone personalities in judging these prestigious awards. He works 1 day a week as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Oxford University Maths Institute (under a Royal Society grant) and he sits on the EPSRC's Mathematical Science Strategic Advisory Team. He has an MBA from IESE Business School and a Mathematics degree from Oxford University and previously served in The Parachute Regiment.

Contact: chris.daniels@arpas.uk

James Dunthorne

James is the UAV Technical Manager for Plowman Craven Ltd, one of the leading consultancy and surveying companies in the UK. He manages UAV flying activities within the company and helps in the development and support of new products and services.  James also sits on the BSI committee for UAV standards in the UK. He works with major stakeholders and government to help develop the skies of the future.James's PhD covers certification of beyond visual line of sight UAV/ drone operations with an emphasis on collision avoidance technology. He has a strong academic background and over 7 years experience in UAV operations

Contact: james.dunthorne@arpas.uk

Richard Gill

Richard believes the future of aviation is Small, Sustainable and Autonomous and is motivated to make it a reality. However, he recognises that in the wrong hands drones could cause harm and continued abuse of the technology will result in it being restricted or banned. Richard believes there is a better way of enabling drone technology while addressing legitimate security concerns. Through the detection, identification, tracking and mitigation of drones it is Richard’s mission is to protect people and organisations from the drone related harm.

Contact:

Andy Sproson

Andy has a Professional background in the Emergency Services, involving Critical Incident Planning, Search and Rescue Operations and Resource Management.He formed Pigs Can Fly with Scott Dowell and undertook Commercial Remote Pilot Training. In this capacity he was involved with Critical Incident Investigations and pioneered the use of Unmanned Technology to conduct surveys of dangerous environments and confined spaces. From there, he worked alongside Scott Dowell to develop Pigs Can Fly into a U.K. Civil Aviation Authority Recognised Assessment Entity.Andy has created Unmanned Aircraft departments in over 100 Organisations and instilled a very high standard of safety. Andy continues to fly and his expertise includes Extended Line of Sight and BVLOS flights having completed several in EVLOS/BVLOS flights during SAR incidents.At the beginning of 2019 he began to conduct research into the benefits utilising Unmanned Aerial Vehicles conducting Autonomous spraying of water, feed, seeds and pesticides. He later formed Autonomous Spray Systems to commercialise these opportunities.

Contact:

Quinton Quayle

Quinton entered the UAV industry in 2017 when he formed his own business, Quayle Industries Ltd. Based in the East Midlands his business provides drone services mainly to other businesses, with the majority of the work being based in construction and surveying. As well as holding a standard PfCO, the business also has its own bespoke OSC, allowing flights in more complex environments and extended flight parameters during operations. He is always looking to collaborate with other UAV organisations and believes there is strength in numbers, chance why he was delighted to become part of the ARPAS-UK Committee.

Contact:

Alejandro Perez-Llabata

University / Education Representative

With a background in Aerospace Engineering and patenting his first device at age 17, Alejandro has won awards for innovation excellence and created Europe’s largest university drone racing team from scratch within 2 years. As the Chief Executive of IUDRO, the company works closely with its highest performing drone teams over there continents, including Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge; leading the company to break numerous boundaries such as hosting the UK’s first urban drone race. Hybridising the successful elements synonymous with Tech Companies, the university drone racing company have also worked with Vodafone on implementing drone racing tech into attractive products.

Contact: alejandro.perez-llabata@arpas.uk

Elena Major

Head of Operations & Membership

Elena joined ARPAS-UK in 2017. Her first degree was in Modern Languages, from Oxford University. She has now embarked on a Masters in Uncrewed Systems via Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the US. Elena is passionate about helping members achieve their goals in the drone industry.

Contact: elena.major@arpas.uk