Panel Discussion - Sustainable Space: How to balance business success with responsibility

Sustainability is increasingly becoming one of the key priorities within the space sector and beyond. Protecting our planet in the face of climate change requires innovative solutions and a commitment to responsible practices that ensure the long-term health of our environment and communities. 

This session will explore innovative approaches to sustainable practices, including the development of eco-friendly technologies, responsible resource management, and the importance of regulatory frameworks. Panellists will share insights on how to foster a culture of sustainability within the industry whilst stimulating economic growth for businesses. 

Delegates will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in creating a sustainable space sector, equipping them with insights on advancing the success of business whilst protecting our planet. 

Speaker Information

Chair - Nicki Clark OBE, Chief Executive of UMi

Nicki has experience of working across numerous sectors – she’s been involved with many different cultures and ways of doing business, which made her a perfect  co founder and CEO of UMi. By her own admission there hasn’t been a grand plan or route map to Nicki’s career it’s been more of an adventure, with some help from great people and a little bit of luck thrown in.  

She started out in banking, travelled the world selling soft drinks or posh pop as she likes to describe it, has set up businesses and social enterprises and worked closely with both the public and private sector. So you could say she knows a thing or two about helping businesses go further.  Nicki believes passionately that businesses have the power to make a difference to lives and the world around us, so she’s made sure that UMi measures success by more than just its financial health but also by the positive impact we have on the people and environments we touch, evidenced by UMi’s own BCorp certification.  She is an active Volunteer, Director, Trustee, was awarded an OBE in June 2022 for services to Business and Social Enterprise in the North of England, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and development.

Ali Stickings is the Business Manager for Defence Space at Frazer-Nash Consultancy, leading on strategy, business development and client relationships across space defence, government and industry. A recognised expert and thought leader in the space domain, Ali is an experienced researcher, analyst and strategic thinker with expertise in UK and international space policy, space security, military space programmes, space warfare, counterspace capabilities, SDA, arms control/disarmament and the intersection of space and missile defence. She has an extensive network across academic, military, government and commercial space sectors, both in the UK and internationally, with a track record of influence at the highest levels of UK MOD. Ali has a substantial record of publications, has provided expert commentary to the media and has spoken at a number of distinguished international conferences and symposia, including at the United Nations. She has acted in an advisory capacity to the UK government, including a role on the External Advisory Board of the MOD/BEIS Space Landscape Review and as Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee inquiry on Space Defence, as well as acting as a Consultant for the US State Department. 

Christina MacLeod serves as the Cluster Development Project Manager at Space Scotland, where she leads on Space Scotland's UK Space Agency's Space Cluster Development Fund and the Space Cluster Partnership Fund projects. These UKSA-funded initiatives aim to accelerate the development of a thriving, resilient, and well-connected space ecosystem across the UK, and Christina focuses on this work in Scotland. 

She works closely with a network of cluster leads and development agencies across Scotland and the rest of the UK, managing ongoing collaborative projects aimed at fostering innovation and stimulating economic growth, while also working to support the needs of organisations within Scotland. These initiatives include sustainability work, skills initiatives, and cross-sector workshops that help unlock the potential of space technologies in diverse industries. 

Christina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Edinburgh, and was Chair and Founder of Women in Space Scotland, an organisation dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within the space sector. 

Jamie Snape is founding director at Aphelion Industries - the Scottish startup building armour for spacecraft. 

 They delivered a UK MOD R&D contract exploring dual-use 'Generation After Next Technologies' in 2022-23, now incubating in the Higgs Centre for Innovation at Royal Observatory of Edinburgh until August 2026. 

 APHLN's near-term product is 'TARGE' - protecting satellites against Lethal Non-Trackable threats like microdebris and fragmentation based anti-satellite weaponry.  Armour products are key milestones on APHLN's Debris Removal R&D roadmap, in future - providing critical disaster-recovery options to catastrophe or conflict in orbit. 

Calypso Kulasegram is the Operations Manager for Orbit Fab, covering UK & Europe, where she leads operational strategies to support the company's growth in the region. Since joining the space sector in 2022, she has worked across operations, business development, and project management, with a focus on space sustainability. Prior to Orbit Fab, she supported the CEO & COO at AstroAgency, contributing to strategic initiatives and operations. 

Calypso has collaborated with leading organisations such as UKSA, ESA, ClearSpace, and Astroscale on key debris removal missions, reflecting her passion for sustainable space practices. Known as a versatile "everyday generalist," she brings a broad skill set and diverse industry experience, including roles at Edinburgh University and in technology and manufacturing.