AIR TATTOO - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Commercial Director
• Member of the Board

After five years working in management roles within the catering industry, Caroline joined RAFCTE in 1990 and has since gone on to be our longest-serving member of staff. Initially arriving as a Special Events Manager, Caroline was subsequently promoted to Deputy Director of Business Development before joining the Board as Commercial Director in 2005. Caroline's responsibilities are vast as she and her team cover revenue generation including sponsorship, hospitality, corporate business development, commercial and consumer activity, and all events and guest management.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board
• Non - Executive Director

Colin Basnett served in the Royal Air Force from 1979 to 2012 and is currently the Group Director of Strategic Engagement for QinetiQ. Colin completed three tours as an airman, including one in Hong Kong, before being selected for commissioned aircrew service. During his flying career, Colin undertook front-line duties on the Tornado GR1 and GR4, including operations over Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a Qualified Weapons Instructor at the Tornado Weapons Conversion Unit. He was also lucky enough to conduct a US exchange tour on the F111F. Colin went on to command No 14 Sqn and RAF Marham before, as an Air Commodore, he undertook his eighth operational tour as Director of the Combined Air and Space Operations Centre, Al Udeid, Qatar. His ground appointments include the Military Assistant to the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments), Personal Staff Officer to the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff; Head of Air Resources and Plans and Head of the Capability Equipment Plan. Upon leaving the RAF, Colin joined MBDA as the Military Adviser (Air) and, latterly, the Head of Typhoon and Future Combat Air System before joining QinetiQ in 2018.

Job Titles:

• Finance Director
• Member of the Board
• RAFCTE As Finance and Shared Services Director

Gavin joined RAFCTE as Finance and Shared Services Director in June of 2021 and has steered the Royal International Air Tattoo through some turbulent times in recent years. Since joining, our event has sold out on two occasions, with record donations made to the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. In addition to the financial aspect of his role, Gavin also plays a pivotal part in installing the IT infrastructure at RAF Fairford to ensure the showground is fully functional at the peak of its activity. Previous to joining us, Gavin worked extensively in Milton Keynes where he held positions of Chief Financial Officer and Finance Director at both Milton Keynes Development Partnership and The Parks Trust Milton Keynes respectively.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board
• Non - Executive Director

Jane joined British Aerospace (predecessor to BAE Systems) in June 1989 following eight years at the UK's Defence & Aerospace Industry Trade Association, The Society of British Aerospace Companies (pre-cursor to today's ADS). Starting at British Aerospace in Corporate Communications, Jane went on to have numerous roles in the company including heading the protocol team in the Exhibitions and Events Department from 1991 to 1994. This gave Jane her first exposure to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and started a long and close association with the event which continues to this day. A role in the Corporate Government Relations team followed and, when British Aerospace explored two potential merger options, Jane moved to the newly formed European Government Relations team. Following the Company's merger with GEC Marconi in 1999 and the formation of BAE Systems, she was promoted to Director Europe in the Group Business Development team managing the Company's customer interface in France, Germany and Italy during a time when a number of European collaborative programmes were being secured such as Typhoon, Meteor and A400M. In April 2001, Jane returned to the Corporate UK Government Relations team with a focus on the Company's air business winning activities and customer interface. This resulted in the creation of a new role in 2006 within BAE Systems' Air business unit of Director UK Government and Customer Relations to which Jane was promoted. Key to the role was acting as the Air business' main strategic interface with its UK Government and military customers - a role Jane matured and refined until her retirement in September 2022.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board
• People and Sustainability Director

Kate joined the Company in 2017 following a 16-year career in the Royal Air Force. Since October 2019, she has been a director of the Company, with responsibility for Human Resources, Volunteer Engagement and Sustainability. Her small team deliver the core HR functions throughout the year, including the recruitment of fixed-term contract staff to support the Royal International Air Tattoo annually, employee relations, engagement and well-being and learning and development. They plan and deliver the support to circa 1,400 volunteers that aid the delivery of the event, including the recruitment, catering, communications, accommodation and administration requirements. She leads the company's sustainability priorities, centred on the commitment to introducing ISO 20121 Sustainability Event Management System.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive
• Member of the Board

Paul Atherton served for 34 years with the Royal Air Force retiring as an Air Vice-Marshal in a career that saw him amass 5,000 hours as a pilot on VC10, TriStar and C-130 K and J model aircraft. He commanded No 216 Squadron, Basrah Air Station in Iraq, and RAF Lyneham. He has undertaken staff and policy appointments in Headquarters 2 Group, Ministry of Defence, The Defence Procurement Agency (as was) and Air Command. Notable roles included implementation of wide-ranging joint initiatives resulting from the 1998 Strategic Defence Review and the senior military member of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme. Paul has completed both Advanced and Higher Command and Staff Courses and attended the Royal College of Defence Studies. As an Air Officer he held the positions of Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategy, Policy and Plans and then Air Officer Operations at HQ Air. On promotion to two-star he was the Director of the UK Military Aviation Authority before completing his final tour as Chief of Staff Operations, again at HQ Air. Paul was appointed OBE for his service in Iraq. On retiring from the regular RAF, he spent two years as the RAF Commander of the USAF installation at Croughton. An ex-Combined Services and RAF cricketer he has a passionate interest in all sports, which lead to him becoming the President of the RAF and Adastrian Cricket Clubs plus the Chairman of Combined Services cricket during his time in the service. To date he retains the role of President of the 216 Sqn Association.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board
• Operations Director

Since joining RAFCTE over 10 years ago Paul has worked as the Head of Ground Operations before being made Operations Director in early 2023. His first Royal International Air Tattoo was in 2013 and ever since, he has been involved in the ground component of every event since. To deliver this, he draws upon support from his wider Ground Operations team and volunteers from the Admissions Team, the Park & View Team, RAF Air Cadets, the Site Team, Showground Reception (incl the RBL Bikers), and the Transport Team. In addition to this, his broader portfolio within Douglas Bader House encompasses not only Ground Ops but all aspects of Safety, Emergency Services and Air Operation

Job Titles:

• Chairman
• Chairman of the Board
• RAFCTE As Chairman

Simon's time with the Royal Air Force spanned six years in the 1980s before turning his attention to the exhibitions industry. Moving to 1999, he then became Managing Director of a joint venture between Haymarket Publishing and the BBC, which saw him work across a plethora of TV-related content events. Two years later, Simon joined Clarion Events which at the time was a small exhibition organising company, acting as a subsidiary of Earls Court and Olympia Group before it became a standalone business in 2004. During his time with them Simon oversaw the growth of Clarion into an industry leading events company, specialising in digital, publishing, exhibitions and conferences. In 2023, Simon joined RAFCTE as chairman with this year's Royal International Air Tattoo set to be his first.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board
• Non - Executive Director
• RAF Charitable Trust As a Trustee

Stephen joined the RAF Charitable Trust as a Trustee and the RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises Company as a Director in 2021. By doing so, he brought a wealth of experience on supporting businesses through significant financial and operational change, which was put to the test as the organisation was tasked with navigating through the impact of Covid-19. Until 2020, Stephen was a practicing advisory partner with an international accounting and consulting firm, focused on mid-market companies and SMEs. Previously, his career has included working in Houston, USA and more latterly in Central and Eastern Europe, where he was based out of Warsaw when in the role of Chair of the Latvian Foreign Investors Council, for a three-year term. Now, he acts as a Board advisor to a number of organisations across various sectors including European agribusiness, global online retail and public sector consultancy work in Latvia. Stephen has a strong interest in supporting education, particularly STE(A)M, and is a long-serving Governor at Gresham's School in Norfolk and a director of the Agri-educational ClanTrust.