CEO and Director of Consulting Services

Wilfred Oliver has over 40 years’ experience in the space business. Following graduation in 1976 with a BSc Honours First Class in Mechanical Engineering, Wilfred started working in the Defence & Aerospace business before joining British Aerospace (BAe) - Space and Communications Division in 1982 where became a specialist in the design, manufacture and test of light weight Carbon Fibre composite flight structures such as antenna structures, reflectors and launch vehicle structures. As Launch Vehicle Manager in the BAe Design Office, Wilfred was responsible for the development and qualification of a number of launch vehicle structure including the Ariane4 dual SPELDA, CNES and US rocket payload adapters and rocket release gear.

In 1989 Wilfred joined Inmarsat, where as a customer resident in UK, France and USA, he was part of the on-site monitoring team for total of 12 successful Inmarsat2, Inmarsat3 and the Inmarsat4 L-Band communications satellites programs for GEO mobile services including Inmarsat’s BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) satellite-based internet and communication service. As part of the Inmarsat-ICO feasibility team he helped the feasibility team define ‘ICO’ as a new satellite constellation business venture.

Appointed Senior Research Fellow and Head of Mechanical Engineering at UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory Wilfred was responsible for a team of 30 multi-disciplined engineers and technicians working on the design, construction and test of a number of key equipments and sub-systems for various space science programs. At MSSL the team under Wilfred successfully delivered the Optical Monitor (OM space telescope) for the ESA XMM-Newton spacecraft and delivered a 3m long Carbon Fibre UV telescope for the NASA/UK/Japanese sun-synchronous Solar-B (Hinode) spacecraft, that  studied the Sun's magnetic field and outer atmosphere. Wilfred and his team also worked on numerous other instrument packages for ESA missions such as Cluster2 PEACE instruments to measure the 3D velocity distributions of the electrons that make up part of the space plasma surrounding the Earth, Herschel Space Observatory SPIRE instrument and the camera package package and Payload Adjustable Workbench for Colin Pillinger’s Beagle2 Mars Lander.

In 2006 Wilfred Joined Telesat Canada in Ottawa as Senior Consulting Engineer participating in a large number in-house and external space consulting programs for International clients as well as technical risk assessments for the space insurance community (BRIT Space). Satellite programs worked on during that time include Nimiq4, Nimiq5, Telstar 11R, Vinasat-1, Viasat-1, TerreStar-1, Thor-5, Nilsat-201 as well as satellites systems for Indosat and Koreasat. 

Over his space career Wilfred has gained in depth experience in all satellite platform sub-systems and launch vehicles and has worked on over 35 satellite programs and conducted multiple launch campaigns using several different launch vehicles.

In 2009 Wilfred formed Global Space Consulting Ltd where he quickly developed a company reputation for high level due diligence satellite construction monitoring resulting in strong customer confidence.

Wilfred is a Chartered Engineer, ‘Fellow’ of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (I.Mech.E) and ‘Fellow’ of the Royal Aeronautical Society(RAeS). He is a member of the Association of Project Managers (APM) and has written and published papers for both the I.Mech.E and European Space Agency (ESA) on the design and qualification of carbon fibre launch structures for the Ariane program.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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

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.

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