ATI Conference 2026 Agenda

Arrival, coffee and pastries

Head to reception to collect your badge, then explore our exhibition hall before the main programme starts.

Welcome

Welcome to the conference.

Sophie Lane, Chief Relationships Officer, Aerospace Technology Institute.

Delivering growth in every postcode

The economic argument for investing in R&T and continued government support.

Vision for growth: the future on trial

Exploring the market opportunity, key decision points and timelines. Explaining where the key areas of divergence from the future market scenario might be and what that would mean for the UK and global sector.

Paul Adams, Chief Innovation Officer, Aerospace Technology Institute; Andrew Harris, Fathom Consulting; Keegan McBride, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; Rich Oldfield, CEO, National Composites Centre; Ian Cuddington, Rolls-Royce.

Signalling demand

This session will provide unique insight into requirements and help influence what you do today to ensure you are a competitive supplier in the future.

Alex Simpson, GE Aerospace.

BREAK

The airframers perspective

Panel with leading figures in product development on technology, commercial realities, future product decisions and supplier readiness. Speakers include Bill Carter, Boeing and Andy Reynolds, Airbus.

David Debney, Head of Technology – Head of Whole Aircraft, Aerospace Technology Institute; Andy Reynolds, Airbus.

Signalling demand

This session will provide unique insight into Airbus’s requirements and help influence what you do today to ensure you are a competitive supplier in the future.

Sue Partridge, Airbus.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Choose from three breakout sessions exploring the hot topics in aerospace.

Framework for growth: Composite capability enhancement in the UK

A key discussion on the five pillars that make up the composites framework for growth, what has been done so far and what more can be done. Discuss the ways we can accelerate progress to secure six times growth in the UK composites market.

Angelo Emmi, Lead Technologist – Structures, Manufacturing & Materials Aerospace Technology Institute; Jahan Ali, Boeing.

Electrifying the aircraft

Exploring the opportunity for electrifying major aircraft systems to improve efficiency and performance. What is technically possible in the immediate future and where can UK expertise secure future market share? Most importantly, what does this mean for investments you might need to make now to be ready for what comes next?

Joe Stonham, Lead Technologist – Advanced Systems & Propulsion, Aerospace Technology Institute; Allan McCabe Head of Technology – Sustainable Innovation and Additive Manufacturing, BAE Systems; Marc Holme, Evolito; Mark Husband, Technical Authority – Electrical Networks, GKN Aerospace; Jon Wright, Product Line Technology Leader, GE Aerospace.

From AI curiosity to business value

This session focuses on decision-making rather than technology. Using real aerospace case studies, explore how organisations identified opportunities, secured investment and stakeholder support, measured value, and successfully deployed AI in engineering and manufacturing environments.

Dani El Zein, Senior Innovation Manager, Aerospace Technology Institute; Professor Ashutosh Tiwari, Deputy Vice-President for Innovation / RAEng Research Chair in Digital Manufacturing, Airbus / University of Sheffield; Jon Caine Technical Director, AVL Powertrain UK.

ATI Toolkit drop-in

Meet the team behind the toolkit and discover how it can support your decision-making.

James O’Doherty-Jennings, Senior Technologist – Whole Aircraft, Aerospace Technology Institute; Mutinda Musuva (Tish), Strategy Manager, Aerospace Technology Institute.

LUNCH

Welcome back

Signalling demand

This session will provide unique insight into Rolls-Royce’s requirements and help influence what you do today to ensure you are a competitive supplier in the future.

Simon Burr, Rolls-Royce.

Tech leaders – major components

Panel on next generation single-aisle growth, performance and cost trade-offs, integration, UK market share and partnership opportunities.

Tom Halhead, Head of Technology – Advanced Systems & Propulsion, Aerospace Technology Institute; Alex Simpson, GE Aerospace; Russ Dunn, Chief Technology Officer, GKN Aerospace; Rob Mitchell, ITP Aero; Alan Newby, Director of Research & Technology, Rolls-Royce; Nick Earl, Safran.

Signalling demand

This session will give unique insight into GKN Aerospace’s requirements and help influence what you do today to ensure you are a competitive supplier in the future.

Russ Dunn, Chief Technology Officer, GKN Aerospace.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

UK expertise: Structures

Explore the UK structures capability, R&T activity and market opportunity in depth. Assess UK competitiveness and what we need to do to retain sovereignty in key areas.

Jacqueline Castle, Chief Technology Officer, Aerospace Technology Institute; Craig Carr, GKN Aerospace; Olivia Stodieck, iCOMAT.

Future propulsion: Beyond NGSA

Explore the UK propulsion capability, R&T activity and market opportunity in depth. Assess UK competitiveness and what we need to do to retain sovereignty in key areas.

Alex Thirkell Senior Technologist – Advanced Systems & Propulsion, Aerospace Technology Institute; Tim Hope, GKN Aerospace; Adam Newman, Rolls-Royce; James Owen, Safran Electrical & Power.

Systems: Beyond wings and engines: Maximising the systems opportunity on NGSA

Explore the UK systems capability, R&T activity and market opportunity in depth. Dive into systems areas from an OEM and SME perspective, outlining the NGSA challenge and capitalising on the systems opportunity.

Saphron Brown Technologist – Systems & Propulsion Aerospace Technology Institute; Alan Henning, Collins; Sam McKee, Domin; Recep Kahraman, Honeywell.

ATI Toolkit drop-in

Meet the team behind the toolkit and discover how it can support your decision-making.

James O’Doherty-Jennings, Senior Technologist – Whole Aircraft, Aerospace Technology Institute; Mutinda Musuva (Tish), Strategy Manager, Aerospace Technology Institute.

BREAK

Revolutionising assembly through automation

Panel on future factory automation, business-practice and design change, lessons, barriers, roadmap and opportunities.

Alex Hickson, Head of Technology – Structures, Manufacturing & Materials, Aerospace Technology Institute; Dan Thombs, Automate UK; Homero Gonzalez, Airbus; Andrew Francis, GKN Aerospace; Ben Saunders, Rolls-Royce,

Signalling demand

This session will give a unique insight into Safran’s requirements and help influence what you do today to ensure you are a competitive supplier in the future.

Eric Valentin, Executive Vice President and Head of the Actuation GBU, Safran.

The ATI Awards 2026

Find out who has won the 2026 ATI Awards for technology and innovation, highlighting the companies, teams and projects trailblazing solutions to the most pressing challenges in aerospace.

Sophie Lane, Chief Relationships Officer, Aerospace Technology Institute.

Reflections and close

Wrapping up Day One.

Sophie Lane, Chief Relationships Officer, Aerospace Technology Institute.

DINNER AND DRINKS

Join us for dinner, drinks and networking.

Arrival, coffee and pastries

Explore the exhibition hall and enjoy refreshments before the programme starts.

Welcome

Welcome back to Day Two.

Sophie Lane, Chief Relationships Officer, Aerospace Technology Institute

Keynote

Explore NASA’s approach to accelerating technology readiness for next-generation aviation, the lessons for the UK, and how international collaboration can help turn emerging technologies into future aerospace capability.

Jesse Quinlan, Technology Manager, Research Innovation and Technology Program, NASA

Innovating at pace

Explore the pitfalls and opportunities of rapid technology developments, risk management and tech transfer opportunities.

Dan Milner, Chief Engineer for Vehicle Technology, Atlassian Williams F1 Team

BREAK

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Enabling industrial readiness

Enabling industrial readiness from an academic and industrial capability and answering the question: How do we get the most out of UK capability?

MRO

What does it take to support the next generation of aerospace technologies once they enter service? From maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities to supply chain resilience, workforce readiness and cross-sector dependencies, this panel will explore the infrastructure and industrial ecosystem required to keep future technologies flying. Speakers include Andy Norton, Rolls-Royce; Bruce Lawson, Rolls-Royce and Hua Wei Huang, ATI.

Hua-Wei Huang, Senior Technologist – Propulsion, Aerospace Technology Institute; Andy Norton, Chief of Technology for Aftermarket Services and Repairs, Rolls-Royce; Bruce Lawson, Vice President Business Development – Service, Rolls-Royce.

Beyond carbon

A session exploring the progress and results of non-CO2 research and what it means for how we operate and what more we need to know.

Adam Morton, Head of Technology, Aerospace Technology Institute; Solange Baena-Zambrana, Airbus; James van der Hoorn, British Airways; Ian Jopson, NATS; Paul Hodgson, Google

ATI Toolkit drop-in

Meet the team behind the toolkit and discover how it can support your decision-making.

James O’Doherty-Jennings, Senior Technologist – Whole Aircraft, Aerospace Technology Institute; Mutinda Musuva (Tish), Strategy Manager, Aerospace Technology Institute.

Inside the investment decision: How aerospace companies raised private capital

Many aerospace SMEs understand grant funding and collaborative R&D but have less experience of raising private investment. This session replaces a traditional investor panel with a more engaging format that allows attendees to step into the investor’s shoes. Speakers include: Mike Campbell, K3 Metrology; Gareth Mayhead, Development Bank of Wales; Stephen Bennington, Q5D and Maria Nelson, ATI.

Maria Nelson, Head of Innovation and Investment, Aerospace Technology Institute; Mike Campbell, CEO and Co-Founder, K3Metrology; Gareth Mayhead, Swyddog Buddsoddi / Investment Executive, Development Bank of Wales; Stephen Bennington, CEO, Q5D

Final remarks

Wrapping up a fantastic couple of days.

Gary Elliott, CEO, Aerospace Technology Institute

LUNCH

Join us for a networking lunch and final opportunity to discover the exhibitors before the conference ends.