Vertical Aerospace Names Former Airbus Executive Fabrice Brégier as Chair
Vertical Aerospace has appointed former Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Fabrice Brégier as Chair of its Board of Directors, as the UK-based eVTOL developer moves towards aircraft certification and commercialisation while expanding its defence and autonomous aviation activities.
Brégier takes up the role on September 21, 2026, replacing Ben Story, who had served as interim Chair since May and will remain on the board.
Brégier brings more than three decades of experience across commercial aviation, helicopters, defence and technology. He was CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft from 2012 to 2016 and previously served as Airbus chief operating officer. During his time at Airbus, he was involved in the development of the A350 programme and the company’s operational restructuring.
In a statement about the new position, Brégier said that he has “spent much of (his) career bringing complex aerospace technologies to market, scaling aircraft programmes and building international businesses around them. In my view, Vertical combines exceptional talent, the best product and the most robust strategy to create a category-defining aviation business. I look forward to working with Stuart, the Board and the wider Vertical team as the Company moves towards certification and commercialisation.”
He also previously led Eurocopter, now Airbus Helicopters, and held senior positions at Matra BAe Dynamics and MBDA, where he worked on multinational defence programmes. Between 2018 and 2024, he was President of Palantir Technologies France, giving him additional experience in data and artificial intelligence applications.
Ben Story, Interim Chair, said that Fabrice is “one of the most accomplished aerospace leaders of his generation. His firsthand experience leading a global OEM through complex aircraft programmes, industrial transformations and international growth will be highly valuable to Vertical as the Company executes the next phase of development.”
Vertical said the appointment comes as it focuses on certification and commercialisation of its all-electric Valo aircraft. At the same time, the company is developing hybrid-electric and autonomous versions of its technology for potential commercial and defence applications.
Vertical has been working with Near Earth Autonomy on autonomous flight capabilities and says the UK Ministry of Defence has expressed interest in its hybrid-electric and autonomous technologies. The company is also progressing work on propulsion, battery and charging systems.
Its battery and charging activities include the UK Government-backed ECLiPSE programme, which is focused on charging and thermal-management technologies. Vertical has also joined Project VERTI-GO, led by Honeywell Aerospace, to support the development of commercial eVTOL operations and airspace integration in Europe.
The company said it is continuing engagement with regulators across six international markets as it develops plans for future commercial operations. CEO Stuart Simpson said that “We have proven our technology in flight and are now focused on turning that progress into a certified aircraft and a scaled global aerospace business. Few executives have Fabrice’s breadth of experience across the areas that matter most to our future.”
