Former Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Fabrice Brégier has joined Vertical Aerospace as Chair, bringing more than three decades of aviation, defence and technology leadership as the company moves its electric aircraft closer to certification and commercial operations.
Building a new aircraft is an engineering challenge. Turning it into a global aviation business requires something else: experience navigating certification, manufacturing, commercialisation and the complexities of scaling aerospace programmes.
Vertical Aerospace has brought in a leader with considerable experience doing exactly that.
The UK-based electric aviation company has appointed Fabrice Brégier as Chair of its Board of Directors, effective September 21, as it advances towards certification and commercialisation of its Valo electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
Brégier succeeds Ben Story, who had served as Interim Chair since May and will remain a member of the board.
The appointment brings one of European aviation’s most experienced executives into a sector attempting to create an entirely new category of commercial aircraft.
Three Decades of Aerospace Leadership
Brégier’s career spans commercial aviation, helicopters, defence and advanced technology.
He served as CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft from 2012 to 2016, before becoming Chief Operating Officer of Airbus Group and President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft from 2017 to 2018. Earlier, as Airbus COO, he helped lead the development of the A350 programme and the company’s operational turnaround.
His experience extends beyond commercial aircraft.
Brégier previously led Eurocopter, now Airbus Helicopters, and held senior leadership positions at Matra BAe Dynamics and MBDA. More recently, he served as President of Palantir Technologies France between 2018 and 2024, adding experience at the intersection of technology, data and defence.
He also holds non-executive positions with Safran and ENGIE and serves as non-executive Chair of SCOR.
From Technology to Commercial Aviation
The timing of the appointment is significant.
Vertical Aerospace is developing Valo, its piloted all-electric eVTOL aircraft, while also working on hybrid-electric technology, autonomous capabilities and potential defence applications.
The company’s current Valo design is intended to carry up to six people, targeting speeds of around 150 mph and a range of up to 100 miles.
For Vertical, however, developing the technology is only one part of the journey. Certification and the transition towards scaled commercial operations represent a different leadership challenge.
That is where Brégier’s background becomes particularly relevant.
He has spent much of his career taking complex aerospace programmes through development and into international markets, experience that could inform Vertical’s next stage as it works to turn an emerging aviation technology into a commercially operating aircraft platform.
Brégier said Vertical had reached an important point in its development, highlighting progress in flight testing alongside its work in hybrid-electric flight, autonomy and defence.
For the wider eVTOL industry, his appointment is notable for another reason.
As electric aviation companies move closer to certification, leadership requirements are changing. The challenge is gradually shifting from proving that new aircraft can fly towards demonstrating that they can be certified, manufactured and operated reliably at scale.
By bringing an Airbus veteran into the chair, Vertical Aerospace is adding experience from conventional aviation precisely as it works to build what it hopes will become aviation’s next category.
Sources: Vertical Aerospace; Reuters; Aviation Week; ADS Advance.
