Innovation Incoming in Space

Lara Lewington

Lara is a technology journalist and broadcaster, specialising in AI and health. She has covered some of the greatest innovation on earth presenting the BBC’s technology show Click, is ITV Lorraine’s resident ‘AI Agony Aunt’, and has fronted many other BBC and ITV shows on how artificial intelligence, science and innovation are transforming our health and existence.

Anita Bernie

Anita Bernie is the Managing Director of MDA Space UK (“MDA UK”). She has full P&L responsibility for MDA Space UK, with the support of MDA Space, Canada’s largest and most successful space company with a 55+ year heritage in Geointelligence, Satellite Systems and Robotics and Space Operations. Having started her career as a spacecraft design engineer at Airbus, she has held many leadership positions in the space industry, including a number of Director roles at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited. Anita is an Honorary Group Captain in Royal Air Force 601 Squadron, providing Advice, Advocacy and Access to the senior leadership of the RAF and MOD. She is a Trustee of leading UK charity The Air League, whose mission is to inspire young people by awarding scholarships, flight experiences and work opportunities through aviation, aerospace, and space; and is a prior Board Member of nanosatellite pioneers AAC Clyde Space and of the Institute of Directors.

Dr Katie King

Dr Katie King is the CEO of BioOrbit, a company building a pharmaceuticals factory in microgravity to revolutionise cancer treatment. BioOrbit aims to bring a paradigm shift to the administration route of cancer treatments. Much like diabetics self-inject with solutions of crystalline insulin, through crystallising antibodies in microgravity, subcutaneous derivatives of anticancer treatments can be formulated, enabling cancer sufferers to self-inject at home. She is a strong believer that science in a microgravity environment can be used to accelerate healthcare and drug development on Earth, and recently won the ‘Innovator Award 2024’ at Everywoman in Tech Awards and Codex World top 50 Innovators ‘Top Female Innovator’. Katie completed her PhD in nanomedicine at the University of Cambridge in 2022, has worked at NASA, AstraZeneca and spent several years as an RAF volunteer reservist. Her vision is to see BioOrbit as the go-to manufacturing line and research facility in microgravity.

Professor Craig Clark MBE FREng FRSE

Craig Clark is a visionary space engineer and successful entrepreneur. He is known for his pioneering work on commercialising small satellites, in particular CubeSats. In 2005, Craig founded Clyde Space Ltd, Glasgow’s first space company. Amongst other achievements, including the Queen’s Award for Enterprise (2017), Clyde Space produced UKube-1, Scotland’s first satellite, which was launched in July 2014. Craig is Professor of Practice for Space at the University of Strathclyde, a Non-Executive Director of the Satellite Applications Catapult, a Trustee of the Glasgow Science Centre and the Co-Chair of The West of Scotland Space Cluster. Craig has an MBE for services to Technology and Innovation, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Sam Adlen

Sam is co-CEO of Space Solar, creating an era defining new solar energy source from space. Following a PhD working on a NASA Mars mission, Sam held senior space sector strategy roles in Finmeccanica (now Leonardo), was Lead Technologist for Space at the UK’s Innovation Agency and was Chief Strategy Officer at the Satellite Applications Catapult. Sam engages broadly across the space sector in shaping future direction and the benefits space can deliver to earth. He co-founded the UKSpace In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing working group and the Spatial Finance Initiative, and is Co-Chair of the Space Energy Initiative. He is also a Non-Executive Director of the Satellite Finance Network and has been a Non-Executive Director for OceanMind and Disclosure Oxford. Sam holds an MPhys and PhD from Oxford University and an MBA from Imperial College London. He is an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at Bayes Business School, University of London.