Baines Simmons appoints four new consultants to broaden expertise
As the global aviation sector continues to undergo a period of sustained change, consultancy Baines Simmons has made a succession of new Principal Consultant appointments. Steve Harriss, Richard White, Nicola Steevenson and Rowan Greenwood have all joined the firm, as it looks to prepare for a period of high demand.
Air Partner, an aviation services firm, has been ringing the changes at its aviation consultancy Baines Simmons in recent months. Earlier in the year, the firm installed a new Managing Director in the shape of Ian Holder, an experienced pilot boasting RAF and civilian airline experience. Now, as the firm prepares to play a major role as the global aviation industry braces itself for an era of ambitious change and disruptive new technologies, the firm has appointed four new consultants to boost its expertise. All four will be based at Baines Simmons’ headquarters at Fairoaks airport and will report directly to Mike Wallace, Head of Training & Consulting Operations.
Steve Harriss has more than three decades’ experience across a broad range of aviation disciplines. Harriss arrived at Baines Simmons in March 2018, re-joining the firm from Bristow Group, where he spent a combined three years as Head of Safety for its Caspian and EAMEA regions. Having initially served as an aircraft engineer and military air accident investigator, Harriss spent his previous stint at Baines Simmons as Principal Consultant – the role he takes back now.
Richard White has a broad range of experience in airworthiness and airline operations, having spent 40 years in the industry, initially as an apprentice aircraft engineer in the British Army, before going on to work for the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority and latterly for the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Baines Simmons will hope White’s extensive regulatory experience will assist clients with understanding continuing airworthiness requirements in a safety management environment.
Nicola Steevenson also served in the RAF for an extended period, spending 10 years in the force as a Tornado Navigator, specialising in Air Defence. In addition to her military experience, Steevenson worked as Chief Ground Instructor for Flybe, where she instructed pilot ground school training. Steevenson also holds a B.Eng in Aerospace Engineering and is an A2 Central Flying School accredited instructor, alongside being a Part 147 approved Human Factors instructor. She now develops and delivers innovative and immersive training techniques for Human Factors training.
Rowan Greenwood, the fourth of the new hires, commands over three decades of experience in commercial helicopter operations as a pilot, instructor, examiner, inspector, manager, flight safety officer and regulator. Having spent more than 20 years at Bristow Helicopters, and latterly Bristow Group, Greenwood has fulfilled a variety of roles including Search and Rescue (SAR) Commander, SAR Standards Manager and most recently Director of Global SAR Operations. From 2007, he worked also as a Flight Operations (Training) Inspector for the UK CAA, all of which Baines Simmons will hope means he can offer clients real depth of expertise in the areas of SAR and helicopter operations.
Commenting on these new appointments, Ian Holder, Managing Director at Baines Simmons, said, “I am delighted to welcome individuals of such high calibre to our consultancy team. Their industry insight, honed over many years, will further strengthen the range of expertise we can offer our clients.”
Related: Air Partner appoints interim finance boss after accounting failure.
