Forres based spaceflight company Orbex appoints technology veteran Martin Coates as interim CEO
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Forres based spaceflight company Orbex have appointed a new CEO.
The company announced that technology veteran Martin Coates has recently been appointed as Orbex's interim CEO, taking over the role from Kristian von Bengtson who held the CEO position on a temporary basis in addition to his role as Chief Development Officer (CDO).
Martin has been involved in Orbex from the very start and had previously served on the Board of the company in its start-up phase between 2015 and 2018. He has over 30 years’ experience leading various companies as a CEO or Chairman and is also a long-time Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and is passionate about promoting engineering in the UK.
Martin said: “I already feel like I'm firmly entrenched in Orbex as I was there in the very early days as the concept became a reality. So, I was honoured when Bart and Kristian asked me to step in. We've got a critical few months ahead of us and a lot of hard work. I already know the quality of the team and I can't wait to get started.”
Orbex Chairman Bart Markus said: “By bringing Martin on board, we're ensuring that Kristian can remain dedicated to his already demanding role. We are excited about having secured Martin’s involvement, not in the least as he already knows and understands Orbex. Additionally, Martin is an experienced tech leader, and his long-standing management experience in technology companies will be a great help for the team to deliver a rocket.”
Orbex is currently in the process of building Prime, a 19-metre long, two-stage rocket that is designed to transport small satellites into the Earth's Orbit. Earlier this month the company also began construction of Sutherland Spaceport, on the north coast of Scotland. The site is the first vertical launch spaceport to be built on the UK mainland and will become Orbex’s ‘home’ spaceport, where the company will launch up to 12 rockets per year.
