Space Scotland has announced appointment of Dr Hina Khan as its first Executive Director, bringing more than 25 years’ experience in the space industry.

Having previously worked at NASA, the European Space Agency and the leading space-based data and analytics firm, Spire, Khan has been in the space sector for all of her working life and is looking forward to bringing a fresh perspective to the industry.

Dr Khan said that, in her new role, she plans to use her expertise to help accelerate the sector’s growth and collaboration.

As well as Dr Khan, space, health and energy specialist, Dr Natasha Nicholson has taken the role of Cluster Manager, with further roles set to be filled over the coming months.

Space Scotland said its mission is to enable, promote, and grow the space within the wider UK space proposition. The body is made up of 60 space companies, as well as academia and government officials, including Trade Minister, Ivan McKee.

The company said it hopes for Scotland to become a world-leading location to start a space company. It aims to help the sector achieve a goal of contributing more than £4 billion annually to the Scottish economy by 2030.

Based in Glasgow, Dr Khan said: “Landing a leading role at Space Scotland really was my dream and when I heard about the opportunity, I knew this was something that I had to be part of. Throughout my career, I have helped numerous companies drive forward their ambitions in space technology, so much so that when I was offered the Executive Director position, I couldn’t have imagined a better fit.

“I like to look at my role as ensuring that space capabilities are utilised by people who need it as part of their infrastructure and for business connections. Understanding space technology can help us conceptualise the bigger picture and how space benefits our everyday life, from agriculture, to the energy that heats our homes to the simple act of making a phone call.

“The space sector in Scotland is a very close-knit community which creates togetherness for businesses across the board. This means that we can connect with the people who make the decisions very quickly to create real and tangible outcomes, which is a great benefit.”

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Daniel Smith, Director of Space Scotland, added: “Hina’s impressive space sector background covers both business and academia, working locally within Scotland but also internationally. This experience, combined with connections across governments and international space agencies, really helped her stand out to us among the list of high-calibre candidates.

“It’s a testament to the years of voluntary effort put in by all Space Scotland representatives that the organisation has reached a level of maturity where it can secure the funding necessary to attract individuals like Khan and Natasha to support the sector’s needs. I’m looking forward to the results of their collaboration with our current Chairperson, Craig Clark MBE, and our many members, in addressing sectoral challenges and opportunities.

“I’d like to highlight the support from Scottish government and its agencies, as well as the UK Space Agency, in helping us build this foundation ahead of what I’m sure will be another positive year for commercial space, across the UK and globally.”

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