Wilfred Oliver
CEO and Director of Consulting Services
Wilfred Oliver has 44 years of experience in the international space industry, spanning satellite and launch vehicle engineering and design, programme management, spacecraft procurement, satellite construction monitoring, launch services, technical due diligence, space insurance, and investment risk assessment. During his career, he has contributed to more than 45 satellite missions across LEO, MEO and GEO orbits, with particular expertise in commercial communications satellites.
Wilfred began his career with British Aerospace in 1982 as an Antenna structural Design Engineer, working on the ESA Olympus and Intelsat VI communications satellite programmes. He subsequently specialised in the design and development of lightweight carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) antenna reflectors and support structures for space flight. Following promotion to Launch Vehicle Manager, he became responsible for the development, qualification and manufacturing support of a range of spaceflight launch vehicle structures and mechanisms, including satellite support adapters, release systems and SPELDA which flew on the highly commercially successful Ariane4 rocket space launch system. SPELDA was a novel innovation designed to carry and protect two satellites one on top of the other into orbit. At the time SPELDA was widely considered the largest CFRP flight structure built within the European space industry. The inaugural flight of Ariane4 and SPELDA was successfully made in June 1988.
In 1989, Wilfred joined The International Maritime Satellite Organisation (Inmarsat). As Mechanical Systems Engineer/Manager he became part of the on-site customer team responsible for negotiating and monitoring the procurement of the highly successful Inmarsat-2, Inmarsat-3 and Inmarsat-4 fleet of L-band satellites. His on-site assignments included extended placements at Astrium (now Airbus) in Portsmouth-UK and Toulouse-France, and at Lockheed Martin in the United States.
With particular responsibility for spacecraft platforms and launch vehicles, Wilfred monitored the procurement of a total of 12 Inmarsat satellites across the complete programme lifecycle. His responsibilities encompassed RFP preparation, bid evaluation and contract negotiations; spacecraft design and construction monitoring; Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT); launch vehicle evaluation and selection; launch campaign activities; Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP); and In-Orbit Testing (IOT). He was also a member of the Inmarsat-ICO feasibility team that helped define ICO as a new Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite constellation business venture.
Wilfred subsequently joined University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) and was appointed as Head of Mechanical Engineering and Senior Research Fellow. Leading a multidisciplinary team of approximately 30 engineers and specialists, he was responsible for the design, manufacture and testing of major spacecraft instruments, equipment and subsystems for a range of international space science missions.
Among the programmes delivered under his leadership were the Optical Monitor (OM) for ESA’s XMM-Newton space observatory launched in December 1999 and a three-metre-long CFRP Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) which was a high resolution solar telescope/instrument for the UK/Japanese/NASA Hinode (Solar-B) mission to study the Sun’s atmosphere. His team also delivered numerous other spaceflight instrument packages for ESA missions, together with the camera package and Payload Adjustable Workbench for Professor Colin Pillinger’s Beagle 2 Mars Lander.
In 2006, Wilfred joined Telesat in Ottawa, Canada, as a Senior Consulting Engineer participating in numerous communications satellite programmes both for Telesat and for international clients where he was involved with advising clients and negotiating and overseeing client satellite procurement programs.
Following his departure from Telesat in 2009, Wilfred founded Global Space Consulting Ltd (GSCL), where he serves as CEO and Director of Consulting Services. Under his leadership, GSCL has established a strong reputation for independent technical due diligence, satellite construction negotiation, monitoring and programme risk identification. On behalf of its clients the company’s work is focused, identifying and mitigating technical and programme risks throughout the satellite lifecycle, supporting and advising customers in achieving compliant spacecraft delivery and successful in-orbit performance for space missions operating in both LEO (Low Earth Orbit) and GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit).
Wilfred and GSCL has advised the space insurance community for many years, providing independent technical assessments of launch risk and monitoring the health and performance of in-orbit satellites. He has also participated in satellite and subsystem failure review boards and provides technical due diligence and risk analysis to investment organisations evaluating existing and prospective space-sector investments.
Over his career, Wilfred has developed extensive knowledge of a wide range of commercial and scientific spacecraft platforms. These include Airbus Olympus/L-SAT, Eurostar Astrium/Airbus E1000, E2000 and E3000, OneSat and ENEO platforms; Thales Spacebus 4000; Orbital/Northrop Grumman GEOStar-3; Lockheed Martin Series 3000 and A2100; Space Systems/Loral/Intuitive Machines LS-1300; and numerous bespoke scientific spacecraft and instrument platforms.
Wilfred has extensive experience in launch mission management, interface and integration and launch campaign support. His launch vehicle experience includes Delta II, Atlas IIAS, Atlas V, Ariane 4, Ariane 5 ECA, Proton and SpaceX Falcon 9. More recently, Wilfred has supported multiple Falcon 9 launch missions, completing four SpaceX launches to date for Echostar 105, Turkast 5a and 5B and Yahsat/Space42 Thuraya4. He is continuing to support further missions, including ongoing satellite programmes for Space42.
With experience extending from detailed spacecraft engineering through satellite procurement and negotiation, construction monitoring, launch and in-orbit operations to insurance and investment due diligence, Wilfred brings a broad perspective on the technical, programme and commercial risks associated with complex LEO and GEO space missions for commercial and space science applications.
Wilfred is a Chartered Engineer and for his contribution to the Space business has been awarded Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Olga Bertrand
Director of Procurement, Contracts & Export Control
Olga Bertrand is a very experienced industrial business engineer with over 15 years of international experience in Airspace and Defence commodity management, industrial contract negotiation, government sales-acquisition process, strategic sourcing, civil engineering and IT & cyber security intelligence businesses.
After graduating in 1997 with a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering she went on to complete a Masters in Strategic Marketing in 2009 and an MBA in Business Engineering and Industrial Affairs in 2010.
Over her highly successful career she has worked in both France and the USA and has developed a deep knowledge in negotiating complex equipment, services and maintenance agreements in international technology settings from satellite ground structures to business aircrafts and has a successful background working with both prime contractors and subcontractors. Within the Defence and Space, she is known for recognising and adhering to the high standards of safety required while conducting project management, understanding schedules, contractual agreements, guiding policies, contract modifications, extensions, or renewals.
Her key achievements include:
Conducting and leading bidding and negotiation activities for high value tenders at over $60M
Successful contracts set up with key satellite suppliers, gaining > $1.0M in savings
Resolve legal matters relating to contract execution - breach, compliance
Handling commercial litigation, dispute resolution and claims recovery. Successfully reached a settlement in a contentious US litigation with leading US aerospace company
Supervise supply chain military provisions; export and shipping issues
Constant sales generation with foreign MoD and government department at close to $3M annual
Olga is reliable and focused and has consistently achieved successful projects within the highest professional standards along with significant efficiency gain, adept to team leading and always has a willingness to take responsibilities. She is trained in Contract Negotiation, IP rights, Export Control, Spend Management. Solid knowledge in ERP system, BravoAdvantage, Lean, Six sigma, procurement tools. Olga is fluent in English, French, Russian, and Ukrainian.
Trevor Jones
Senior Satellite Communications Systems Analyst
Trevor Jones has over 40 years’ experience in the space business including 20 years combined consulting and customer resident monitoring of satellite and payload construction, assembly and test.
Following his graduation in 1977 with honours in Physics, Trevor joined Marconi Space and Defence Systems in Portsmouth, UK. As a senior system engineer at Marconi, Trevor’s responsibilities included analysing MARECS (Inmarsat I) communication payload equipment for nuclear radiation dosages, writing and updating the MARECS payload operations requirements handbook, and Passive Intermodulation (PIM) testing on MARECS payloads with multipaction tests on critical equipment. As payload systems analyst for MARECS B and B2, his tasks included performance analysis at payload level, devising diagnostic tests for payload anomalies, writing payload test reports, and support for the delivery and buy-off of the MARECS satellite payloads.
In 1985 Trevor joined British Aerospace, Stevenage, UK and became the BAe customer resident payload engineer in Hughes Aircraft Corporation, Los Angeles to monitor progress on the design, construction and test of the Inmarsat 2 payload. From 1987-1997 Trevor was appointed as RF Systems Analyst at the European Space Agency (ESTEC), Noordwijk, Netherlands where he worked primarily on communications systems engineering for both a number of in-house projects as well as an RF consultant to a number of external clients.
In 1997 Trevor joined Telesat as a Senior Payload Systems Specialist with responsibilities for both internal satellite programs as well as a number of external space consulting programs for international clients. Since 2000 Mr Jones has been consulting full-time working with a number of clients on a range of GEO and LEO satellite projects for communications, navigation or earth observation missions covering design reviews and payload construction and test. Trevor has sound experience in LEO Cubesat and GEO mobile, broadband and HTS payload new business studies including modelling coverage plots, traffic density, link budgets, antenna sizing and trade-offs.
Trevor’s key skills and expertise includes:
Communications system engineering
Resident Payload Engineer
Payload AIT and performance assessment
Analysis, simulation and modelling of comms systems including orbital parameters, coverage plots, link budgets, traffic density, payload sizing, antenna sizing and trade-offs, satellite payload and ground terminal specifications
Time and event driven simulation using Matlab, Simulink and similar
Trevor has written and published papers on satellite payload design and Repeater and Antenna Design for a European On-board Processing Satellite System published at ECSC-1 and ICDSC-9 and holds a patent for Reconfigurable Transmit Antenna for Shaped Contour Coverage; Multibeam communication system and method.
Malcolm Lamming
Senior Payload & Systems Engineer
Malcolm Lamming has over 35 years in the satellite payload business.
After graduating from Cambridge University in 1987 with an engineering degree Malcolm has spent time at both satellite manufacturers (Airbus) as well as operators Eutelsat before embarking as a consultant including working with Telesat Canada before joining GSCL.
Malcolm has extensive experience and a proven track record across the depth & breadth of payload engineering, including:
Equipment design, development and test including high-power OMUXes
Significant experience in design/build to avoid high-power problems - multipaction, corona & PIM
Payload design, production, validation on-ground and in-orbit (IOT)
Telecomms payloads ranging from simple Ku to complex on-board digital processing for channelisation, routing and beam-forming e.g. Inmarsat 4 & 6, and to robust anti-interference missions (government secure telecomms, secure TT&C
Input to proposals, frequent presentations to international prospective clients
Investigations and diagnoses of root cause and resolution of anomalies - often in time-critical situations like spacecraft thermal vacuum and IOT
Modelling and trade-offs at end-to-end level - user terminals, satellite in GEO/MEO/LEO, hubs, various modulation schemes and error correction coding; effect of end-to-end path imperfections and interferers on symbol error rate (SER)
System-level identification of the criticality of an issue to performance and revenue and to the security of the mission
Identification of payload architecture weaknesses that if left unchecked would lead to significant G/T degradation and vulnerability to other on-board and co-located payloads
ITU compliance aspects
Identification of program risks and alerts arising from reported in-orbit failures, new suppliers, long lead components, attrition policy
Independent analysis of payload key performance parameters, including assessment of system effect of unit non-compliances
Knowledge of track record of a number of current flight equipment suppliers
Due diligent assessment of contractual compliance
Experience of dealing with satellite insurers
Experience with a range of international clients
Malcolm Lamming has written and published papers on microwave filters published by & presented at ESA/ESTEC.
Mark Lumley
Senior Payload & Platform Systems Engineer
Mark Lumley has over 25 years experience in satellite systems engineering, satellite payload communications and platform engineering.
After graduating in 1997 with a BSc in Physics & Astrophysics from Birmingham University, and completing his masters degree in Astronautics and Space Engineering in 1999 from Cranfield University, Mark worked at Astrium/Airbus for nearly 10 years before becoming a space consultant. Mark’s consultancy career, which has now spanned over 15 years, has worked on a number of communications and navigation client satellite programs including Skynet, Galileo, Arabsat, Hellas-Sat, Turksat, Koeasat, SES and Space42 (formerly Yahsat).
Mark is fluent in English and conversant in French.
His experience includes:
Extensive satellite communications experience covering Ku, Ka, C, L, X, SHF & UHF communications payloads.
Satellite Platform sub-system experience covering Electrical Power (EPS), Data Handling (DHS), Attitude and orbit control (AOCS), Telemetry, Command and Ranging (TCR), Thermal control (TCS), Chemical Propulsion (CPS), Electric Propulsion, satellite mechanical & space mechanisms
On-site resident monitoring satellite construction, Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT)
Experience of all activities associated with satellite procurements, construction and test, including proposal evaluations & negotiations, design reviews, flight equipment manufacturing, unit and system test, quality and non conformance evaluations
Support to non conformances (NCRs, NRBs)
Investigations and diagnoses of root cause and resolution of satellite equipment and system anomalies - often in time-critical situations such as during spacecraft AIT and IOT
Contract technical deviation assessment reviews (RFD/RFW)
Launch Campaigns, Launch and Early Orbit Phase support and monitoring (LEOP)
Payload in-orbit test (IOT) and in-orbit acceptance.
Alphons Arts
Senior equipment & satellite Product Assurance & Quality Engineer
Alphons Arts is a seasoned Satellite Product Assurance and Quality Engineer with over 35 years of experience in satellite engineering. After earning his BSc in Computer Science from Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Eindhoven in 1976, he has built a distinguished career overseeing all phases of bus and payload development, manufacturing, integration, and testing for both telecommunication and scientific satellites.
Alphons has contributed to more than 26 satellite projects, working with platforms such as E-2000, E-2000+, E-3000, AS-4000, Spacebus-3000B3S, and E-NEO. He is highly skilled in managing all Product Assurance activities throughout the entire project lifecycle—from initial qualification and design reviews (EQSRs, PDRs, CDRs, PSRs) to final Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT) and delivery—ensuring a smooth transition through to launch.
His experience spans major satellite manufacturers such as Airbus Defence Space, Thales Alenia Space and OHB, as well as Telecom operators including Inmarsat, SES, Yahsat and ESA on science missions, before continuing his career as an independent consultant.
Alphons is fluent in Dutch and English.
Specialities:
Compliance and Verification
Ensured adherence to project requirements during EQSR, PDR, and CDR phases using the Verification Control Document (VCD)
Managed non-compliance issues through established RFD (Request for Deviation) and RFW (Request for Waiver) processes
Supplier Quality Management
Assessed and verified supplier Quality Management Systems to ensure alignment with project-specific Product Assurance (PA) standards.
Non-Conformance Management
Identified, documented, and evaluated non-conformances, assessing risks to product integrity, safety, and compliance
Applied root cause analysis methods, including 5 Whys, Fishbone Diagrams, and FMEA
Led collaborative development of corrective actions, embedding lessons learned into continuous improvement frameworks
ECSS Q-Branch Implementation
Applied ECSS-Q standards to ensure the safety, reliability, and compliance of space products throughout the lifecycle.
Project Oversight and Quality Control
Oversaw satellite construction, testing, commissioning, and quality assurance activities
Carried out Mandatory Inspection Points and special KPI
Chaired Non-Conformance Review Boards (NRBs) and conducted Key Inspection Points (KIPs) and Mandatory Inspection Points (MIPs)
Participated in design, manufacturing, test, material, and failure review boards
Enforced stringent cleanliness and contamination control requirements
Contributed as a member of Parts and Materials Review Boards, focusing on quality, reliability, and approval of space-grade components
Christian Garderes
Senior equipment & satellite Product Assurance & Quality Engineer
Christian is a senior and highly experienced satellite and equipment procurement Product Assurance and Quality Engineer Engineer with 35 years’ experience.
1990 Graduate in Quality management for Aeronautics and Space technology
1989 Graduate in Mechanical Engineering (Aeronautics and Space technology)
Majored in Mechanical Engineering (Aeronautic and Space technologies) in 1989
Majored in Quality management for Aeronautic and Space Industries (1990)
Since his graduation, Christian spent 20 years working for Air Liquide, Astrium and Thales in senior PA/QA management positions before becoming a space consultant.
Christian’s experience covers the full satellite procurement life cycle including PA technical requirements generation, EQSRs, PDR/CDRs, AIT, TRR/TRBs, KIPS/MIPs, NCR/NRBs, RFD/RFW, PSR and launch campaign support. Christan has worked as PA Manager/Engineer on several ESA satellites and many ADS/Astrium E3000 satellite programs and in doing so has built up extensive familiarity and experience of ADS satellite AIT in Toulouse. Christian has followed the procurement, test and delivery of all types of platform and payload units and equipment’s.
His skill and experience list includes:
Full experience of satellite project life cycle stages related to quality and product assurance.
PA technical requirements generation
Parts, Radiation, Materials and Processes, Components approval (PCB/RCB/MPCB)
Risks Management and Safety, RAMS/FMECA experience
EQSRs, PDR/CDRs, MRRs, TRR/TRBs, KIPS/MIPs and PSR.
NCR/NRBs, RFD/RFW.
Extensive E3000 and ENEO satellite procurement and system AIT experience over many programs.
Launch campaign experience.
Familiarity with the full range of Platform units and sub-systems
Familiarity with the full range of Payload units including digital processors
Lead Assessor BVQI/ISO 9000 (quality auditor IRCA)
Knowledge of ISO 9000 family
Knowledge of ECSS, PSS (Space) and PART 145 and 21 (Aeronautic)
Performance of inspections (MIP & KIP)
Christian has worked on multiple communication satellite programs for Inmarsat, SES, Eutelsat and Space42 as well as remote sensing and space science satellite missions for ESA, CNES and UK.
Christian is fluent in both French and English and highly conversant in Spanish.