In April 2020 Chris retired from the UK Space Agency as Chief Scientist. He now undertakes occasional activity as a strategic advisor across international academic and industrial space sectors through his company AstroSpace Solutions. He is a visiting Professor at the University of Leicester and a member of the Editorial Board of the ROOM Space Journal. Chris is a long standing champion of UK academic and industrial interests across its space community and a past Board Member of the Space Academic Network (SPAN) which he continues to promote. He is also a Board Member of the AstrobiologyOU academic unit at The Open University.Past CareerChris began his career with British Aerospace/Matra Marconi in 1980, after graduating from the University of Leicester, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Experimental Space Science and a BSc in Astrophysics. At BAe Chris worked on programmes that included the Hubble Space Telescope, the Halley’s comet interceptor, Giotto, and Europe’s largest environmental monitoring satellite, Envisat. Chris also led development of satellite data services. He left BAe/Matra Marconi in 1998 when the Bristol site closedChris then joined space technology specialist, SCISYS, where his work included Telecommunication and Navigation programmes as well as Space Science, Exploration and Earth Observation, including roles on the UK Mars Beagle 2 and ESA Exomars Rover and LISA Pathfinder programme. Chris was an Executive Committee member of the UK Space Trade Association and chaired its Space Science and Exploration committees. In 2014 Chris was invited to join the UK Space Agency as their first Head on International Space Policy, acting as the lead contact with other Space Agencies as well as promoting UK space exports and space-linked inward investment alongside Government colleagues.