Our governance

The main decision-making, executive and managerial bodies at UK Space Agency.

The UK Space Agency has an executive board, steering board and audit committee to manage and advise on activities.

Executive board

The executive board manages the day-to-day operations and activities of the UK Space Agency, including giving policy advice to the ministers at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The board is responsible for:

  • carrying out the UK Space Agency mission as detailed in its Corporate Plan.
  • developing and maintaining the agency’s mid to long-term strategy
  • approving and carrying out financial planning
  • the investment appraisal regime, including approving capital and revenue under the limit set by BEIS
  • approving and carrying out agency governance, including financial policies and procedures
  • overseeing stakeholder relationship management, including with government

Executive board members

  • Graham Turnock, Chief Executive
  • Catherine Mealing-Jones, Director of Growth
  • Chris Castelli, Director of Programmes
  • Peter Finn, Chief Operating and Finance Officer
  • Alice Bunn, Director of Policy (jobshare)
  • Rebecca Evernden Director of Policy (jobshare)
  • Claire Barcham, Director of Commercial Space

Terms of reference: Executive Board (PDF, 48.1KB, 2 pages)

Steering Board

The Steering Board has no executive functions. Its role is to advise ministers on:

  • the strategies to be adopted by the UK Space Agency as set out in its Corporate Plan.
  • the targets to be set for quality of service, and financial performance (and monitoring and advising on performance against these)
  • the resources needed to meet those targets

Steering Board members

  • Peter Finn
  • Steph Hurst (BEIS)
  • Malcolm Macdonald
  • Frances Saunders
  • David Southwood
  • Clive Tucker
  • Graham Turnock

Meeting minutes: Steering Board (PDF, 169KB, 3 pages)

Terms of reference: Steering Board (PDF, 104KB, 2 pages)

Executive Board attendees

  • Claire Barcham
  • Alice Bunn
  • Chris Castelli
  • Rebecca Evernden
  • Nicola Higgins
  • Catherine Mealing-Jones

Audit committee

The audit committee is an advisory body to the UK Space Agency steering board with no executive powers. Its main functions are to make sure the use of public money is visible by monitoring financial reporting and discipline. The audit committee’s role is to support the chief executive in their role as accounting officer by:

  • overseeing the work of the internal and external auditors
  • making recommendations to the steering board and reviewing the annual financial statements before submission to the steering board
  • assisting and advising the accounting officer on risk, control, governance and associated issues

Audit committee members

  • Clive Tucker
  • Frances Saunders
  • Keira Shepperson
  • Graham Turnock
  • Peter Finn
  • Karen Folkes

Audit committee attendees

  • James Osborne (NAO)
  • Mark Rutter (NAO)
  • Bob Crilly (GIAA)
  • Claire Barcham
  • Alice Bunn
  • Chris Castelli
  • Rebecca Evernden
  • Nicola Higgins
  • Catherine Mealing-Jones

Meeting minutes: Audit Committee (PDF, 32.4KB, 1 page)

Terms of reference: Audit Committee (MS Word Document, 85.5KB)

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