- Vertical Aerospace appointed Fabrice Brégier as Board Chair on 21 September 2026
- Brégier replaces Ben Story, who remains on the board
- The appointment expands the board from eight to nine directors
- Brégier previously served as CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft
- The appointment supports certification of the all-electric Valo aircraft
Vertical Aerospace has appointed former Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Fabrice Brégier as the new Chair of its Board of Directors on 21 September 2026. The appointment comes as the company accelerates the certification and commercialisation of its flagship all-electric Valo aircraft while scaling up its defense and hybrid-electric aviation programmes.
Brégier replaces Ben Story, who served as interim chair since May 2026 and remains on the board. The appointment expands the board from eight to nine directors. It was formally proposed by Mudrick Capital Management, Vertical Aerospace’s largest shareholder and primary financing partner. Brégier brings more than three decades of aerospace experience, having served as CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft from 2012 to 2016, COO of Airbus Group and President and CEO of Eurocopter, now Airbus Helicopters.
Brégier served as President of Palantir Technologies France from 2018 to 2024, expanding his expertise into big data, artificial intelligence and software applications for defense. He currently holds non-executive board seats at aerospace technology supplier Safran, energy utility Engie, and serves as non-executive Chair of global reinsurer SCOR. The appointment supports Vertical Aerospace as it moves toward certification and commercialisation of its all-electric Valo aircraft.
