Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering electric aviation, announced the appointment of three highly-accomplished executives to its Board.
The new Board members will support driving Vertical’ Aerospace’s financial and commercial strategy, as Vertical Aerospace targets cash break-even in 2030 with a clear path to profitability thereafter.
The new Board members are James Keith (JK) Brown, Kris Haber, and Carsten Stendevad. These appointments are effective as of April 30, 2025 in the case of Haber, and May 14, 2025 in the case of Brown and Stendevad.
Domhnal Slattery, chairman at Vertical Aerospace, said:
“I am delighted to welcome JK, Kris, and Carsten to Vertical’s Board. Combined, they bring decades of deep capital markets expertise, business development experience and proven track records scaling growth-stage companies. 2025 is on track to be a pivotal year for Vertical as we complete our piloted test flight program and move closer to certifying and producing the safest, most comfortable eVTOL on the market.”
James Keith (JK) Brown is a seasoned investment executive with a proven track record of supporting growth-stage firms scale and reach market readiness. He currently serves as a senior advisor at Thrive Capital. Brown was a founding partner at Och-Ziff Capital Management, where he played a central role in taking the firm public in 2007, expanding assets under management from $32 billion at the time of the IPO to a peak of $50 billion, and overseeing global investor relations and fund strategy. He was also senior managing partner and head of operating
committee at Coatue Management, growing assets there from $10 billion to over $50 billon and previously managing director and head of U.S. Institutional Sales and Relationship Management at Goldman Sachs. He serves as president of the Board of Trustees at the New Museum of Contemporary Art and holds leadership roles across several cultural and educational institutions, including the Lincoln Center Theater and the University of North Carolina.
Kris Haber has more than 33 years’ experience in corporate finance, business development and strategic buildups. He is currently chief executive officer and founder of Vega Partners, an investment firm that’s led in excess of $3 billion in transaction value for a variety of early and growth stage investments and merchant banking opportunities.
He holds multiple board seats across the clean energy landscape, including at Standard Carbon, EnergyX, MAG IA and EV Match. Haber has previously held executive positions at leading investment
firms, including as partner and COO of Investcorp Strategic Capital Group, a division of Investcorp, a
$50 billion AUM alternative asset management firm and COO of Advent Capital. He also served as president and global head of absolute return strategies of Threadneedle, North America, now a division of Columbia Management, a $650 billion asset manager and chairman and chief operating officer of Safanad. Prior to this, Haber was at Lazard for approximately 14 years, within the $250 billion asset management division.
Carsten Stendevad is an experienced global finance leader who brings expertise in developing and executing on corporate and financial strategies. He currently serves as partner and co-chief investment officer for sustainable investing at Bridgewater Associates, as a board advisor to GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund and chairs the Board of Directors of the Danish Refugee Committee.
Stendevad was previously CEO of ATP, Denmark’s national pension plan with 5 million members and more than $110 billion in assets, where he oversaw all investment
and operational functions and chaired the investment committee. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Citi, McKinsey, and the Central Bank of Denmark and has served on the boards of Novo Holdings, NOW Pensions, and UNICEF Denmark.
These Board appointments follow the announcement on March 7, 2025 that Eamonn Brennan, former director general of Eurocontrol, has joined Vertical as an adviser to its Board.
In connection with these appointments, Gur Kimchi stepped down from the Board on 30 April 2025, and Kathy Cassidy will be stepping down from the Board on 14 May 2025, and Vertical’s Board will expand to seven directors.
Slattery concluded: “I’d also like to thank Gur and Kathy for their service and contributions to Vertical since our 2021 listing. Their leadership, insights, and expertise have played an essential role in helping us build a strong platform for growth and innovation.”
This press release was prepared and distributed by Vertical Aerospace.
