BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Pascual Marques
President of Marques Aviation Ltd
Dr. Pascual Marqués is the President of Marques Aviation Ltd. The company designs and manufactures the MA THOR and MA AirDefence unmanned aircraft systems. Dr. Marqués has particular research interest in the fields of Aerodynamics and Flight Dynamics. He holds other senior appointments including CEO and Member of the Board of Directors at Oxford Aerospace Academy, International Director (UK) of Unmanned Vehicle University – USA, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Unmanned Systems Engineering (IJUSEng), Chair of the World Congress on Unmanned Systems Engineering (WUEng) and Chair of the International Aerospace Engineering Conference (IAEC). He performs board level executive, advisory and Non-Executive Director roles in the aviation industry. Dr. Marques is a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Dr. Emaid Abdul-Retha
Director of Engineering R&I
Dr. Emaid A. Abdul-Retha is a Member of the company’s Board of Directors. He holds Masters and PhD degrees in Aeronautical Engineering. Dr. Abdul-Retha has supervised a number of research programs in jet engine automatic control systems and modeling of gas turbine engines. He has over 34 years of aviation experience including 20 years of direct experience with unmanned aircraft vehicles. He has been a chief engineer for ten years working on modifications to the MiG-21 and MiG 29 jet fighter aircraft. Dr. Abdul-Retha has supervised several research centers and projects related to aviation and unmanned aircraft and has performed research on many different types of aircraft (fighter, transport, helicopter, agriculture, light, and general aviation). His research related to unmanned aerial vehicles includes the design, manufacture, integration, and testing of many different types (fixed wing UAV, VTOL UAV, jet powered UAV). Dr Abdul-Retha was an advisor to the small unmanned aircraft vehicle research program at the National Aerospace University in Kharkov, Ukraine. From 2008 to 2010 he provided consulting services to the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) in Jordan, where he managed a VTOL UAV research program. He holds other senior positions including R&D Director at Jordan Aerospace Industries (JAI) where he has established a comprehensive UAV program. He is a member of the Board of Directors at Jordan Advance Remote Systems (JARS). Dr Abdul-Retha is also a member of Faculty at Unmanned Vehicle University, USA where he lectures in UAV Propulsion Methods and Selection and supervises doctoral research programs.
Dr. Elena Spiridon
Non-Executive Director – Investor Relations & Marketing
Dr. Elena Spiridon is a Member of the Board of Directors at Marques Aviation Ltd where she advises the Board on investor relations and marketing operations. Dr. Spiridon holds a PhD in Psychology from Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom. She is a Chartered Psychologist, endorsed by the British Psychological Society, recipient of a GBR British Psychological Society Award, and she is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Sönke Dierks
Director of Aircraft Design
Sönke Dierks is a Member of the Board of Directors at Marques Aviation Ltd. Mr Dierks is a distinguished engineering designer of advanced aircraft platforms. His influential design portfolio is characterised by innovation in aircraft airframe trends, ecological hybrid-electric propulsion systems, flight efficiency, and stealth technologies beyond the traditional boundaries of aerospace engineering. He leads the aircraft design division at Marques Aviation Ltd with the development of influential and sustainable aircraft designs and technologies that assure air platform operational cost-effectiveness, and potential for growth and global reach of the company products.