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Board of
Directors

Breadth of knowledge, wealth of experience, exceptional business insight. Our incisive Board are driven to propel Reaction Engines into the brightest of futures.

Mark Thomas

Chief Executive Officer

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Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP

Chairman

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Andrea Minton Beddoes

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

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David McNair Scott

Non-Executive Director

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Jonathan Hale

Non-Executive Director

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Meet our people

We’re building a better future through our technology. But that can’t happen without the passion of the people who work here. Find out more about them here. 

Meet the team

We develop pioneering technology to elevate life on Earth. Innovating in pursuit of the world's net zero goals. We deliver thermal management solutions to create a better, more sustainable future.

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© 2024 Reaction Engines

We develop pioneering technology to elevate life on Earth. Innovating in pursuit of the world's net zero goals. We deliver thermal management solutions to create a better, more sustainable future.

Instagram Linkedin
© 2024 Reaction Engines

Mark Thomas

Chief Executive Officer

Mark heads our strategy as we explore the possibilities of hypersonic flight, power next-generation space access and revolutionise thermal management. He’s the international face of Reaction Engines to the world’s media, in the highest political circles and at global events. 

Under Mark’s leadership we’ve grown from 60 to over 200 employees in just five years. We’ve recruited and developed some of the UK’s top young scientists, engineers and apprentices. Secured significant investment. Won numerous business, aerospace and innovation awards. Built successful relationships with global companies, government agencies, innovators, and entrepreneurs. And created a track record of achieving world-first technological breakthroughs.

His lifelong passion for engineering and technology means he relishes the chance to do things never done before. He’s worked on a wide range of exciting and varied projects from imagination to delivery for over 30 years, on some of the most prestigious and challenging projects in aerospace history.

Before joining Reaction Engines, Mark spent 25 years at Rolls-Royce working on challenging multi-national aero-engine programmes and leading cutting-edge technology developments aimed at the future of sustainable aviation.

As a longstanding Chartered Engineer, mentor of younger engineers, and Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, he inspires our teams to achieve amazing things and develop truly world-changing technologies and solutions.

Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP

Philip was appointed to the Board of Reaction Engines in 2021 as Non-Executive Director. Philip has been MP for Ludlow since 2005. He served as Minister for Defence Procurement from 2012-2016 and as Minister of State for Health from 2016-2018. He was Deputy Chairman of the Defence Growth Partnership from 2018-2022. He has been a member of the Environmental Audit Committee since 2018 and its Chairman since 2020.

He had a 20-year career in investment banking before entering politics. He was co-founding director of Ottakar’s plc, a director of charity JDRF, fund manager, Ruffer LLP, and chairman of a quoted Venture Capital Trust.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Andrea Minton Beddoes

Andrea was appointed to the Reaction Engines Board as a Non-Executive Director in January 2021. Andrea has over 25 years’ experience in corporate communications, reputation and stakeholder management and currently holds a portfolio of non-executive and trustee roles.

Following an early career in the finance sector at Zurich Financial Services as Director of Office, Andrea undertook high-profile roles at McKinsey & Company within the Global Communications Leadership Team, transforming the UK’s approach to reputation building, and established a network for professional women across the public, private and voluntary sectors. Andrea holds a degree from Oxford University and completed a one-year postgraduate study at Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

David McNair Scott

David was appointed to the board of Reaction Engines Ltd in 2014 as a Non-Executive Director.

David trained as a Chartered Accountant at Dixon Wilson. He then went on to fulfill a number of Finance and Commercial roles as a Director of Complinet Limited (purchased by Thomson Reuters July 2009) a global software and information business. David has held a number of global and regional sales leadership roles at Thomson Reuters.

David is now CEO of Trailight Ltd a Compliance Technology business.

Jonathan Hale

Jonathan was appointed to the Board of Reaction Engines Ltd. in 2015 as Non-Executive Director.

He has an MBA from Harvard School of Business Administration plus an MA and BA from Cambridge University in Metallurgy and Materials Science. He has over 35 years of commercial and financial experience in the aerospace, energy, mining and consulting sectors.

Previously Jonathan was Director of Corporate Strategy for Rolls-Royce plc and a member of its Group Executive, retiring in 2010. He was responsible for corporate strategy, M&A, development of new businesses and partnerships, and commercialisation of technology. Jonathan has also worked for Anglo American in South Africa; Fluor in San Francisco; LEK Consulting in London, where he was a Senior Partner, and Ascot, a fine and speciality chemicals company, as Head of Corporate Finance and Strategy.

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