Our Board
Matthew Gilpin
Matthew is an investment fund director and serial technology and finance entrepreneur.
Born in an RAF hospital to a family with strong links to the RAF, he studied Law at Oriel College, Oxford, with professional qualifications in corporate finance and regulation as well as quantum computing and artificial intelligence from MIT. He is a qualified barrister.
After practising at the bar where he specialised in financial regulation, he moved into equity capital markets and fund management with a focus on emerging Europe with CA-IB/Bank Austria/EMAC and global equities with Taube Hodson Stonex Partners where he was also responsible for new fund structuring, marketing and fundraising from institutions and wealth managers.
Matthew is Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner for a pan-European industrial real estate group and co-founder of high-tech start-ups in the UK and Canada. In 2010 he founded a boutique spirits company making award-winning gin.
He is a member of the Chartered institute for Securities and Investments, Royal United Services Institute and the Institute of Directors as well as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and British Interplanetary Society - the UK’s learned society for astronautical science and space advocacy.
Hemma Gooljar
A communications professional, including international experience in the Middle East and Eastern Africa, Hemma is passionate about illuminating untold stories of the Royal Air Force - past, present and future.
Hemma strongly believes that the RAF Museum can play a vital role in supporting everyone in understanding the Royal Air Forces’ people, aircraft, operations and innovations, and help them recognise their significance on society today, and future endeavours. She considers herself incredibly lucky to have seen first-hand the dedication of RAF serving personnel and veterans, and is committed to ensuring the RAF Museum is a welcoming, thoughtful and inspiring space for individuals from all walks of life.
A member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Chartered Management Institute, Hemma currently oversees communications and external affairs for one of the UK’s largest youth organisations.
Hemma is an avid traveller - when not immersing herself in global cultures or gazing out of an aeroplane window, she occupies her spare time fostering dogs with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
Waseem Mahmood OBE
Waseem Mahmood is a strategic communications expert having developed and managed several major projects specifically in Countering Violent Extremism and illegal migration. An award-winning broadcaster, he remains one of the youngest credited producers on BBC television. He worked for eight years at BBC Pebble Mill, producing and directing a variety of shows. He left the BBC to set-up and run TV Asia, Europe’s first satellite channel for ethnic minorities. More recently, Waseem has been working as a consultant overseeing the production of television programmes all around the world. From minority Russian language programming in Estonia to a youth culture show in Kenya, from documentary programming in Jordan to local consumer programmes in Vietnam, Waseem’s programme portfolio is as varied as the multitude of locations he has worked in.
In 2005’s New Year’s Honours List, Waseem’s work was acknowledged with the award of an OBE for services to the reconstruction of media in post-war countries. He has been advising many governments on communication strategy; his last posting was in Northern Nigeria. where he was responsible for the launch of a Hausa language TV station in Northern Nigeria which he set up and ran for the US State Department supporting the Counter Terrorism Bureau’s CVE agenda in the North.
Other highlights of his career include developing a comprehensive five year strategic communication strategy countering violent extremism in Pakistan. This included running a successful Pashto radio soap for young people, 'Da Duniya Zamung Duniya' (Our World) and the 'Yeh Hum Naheen' (This is not us), anti-terrorism foundation in Pakistan aimed at de-radicalising young Muslims. In 2008, developed and ran a major multimedia campaign which culminated with world-record-breaking 62.8 million Pakistanis signing a petition condemning terrorism.
He is currently back in UK getting back into production making films that tell extraordinary stories of extraordinary endeavour and passion.
Waseem was awarded an OBE in 2005 in Her Majesty’s New Year’s Honours List 'for services to the reconstruction of Media in post war countries” and received the KAPPA lifetime achievement award “for most outstanding contribution to media'.
Julie McGarvey
Julie is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and has 30 years’ experience in strategic communications, brand building, sponsorship activation and reputation management.
She has provided counsel to blue chip clients in the private, public and third sector across aviation & transportation; tourism, arts & culture; sport & leisure; retail, property & construction; food & drink and financial services.
Julie is the former co-founder of 3×1 Group, an independent communications and digital consultancy with offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. She is a past-chair of CIPR Scotland; former adviser to the University of Stirling’s MSc in Public Relations and non-executive director of the arts charity Culture Republic. Her media career spanned the BBC World Service and Radio Clyde after graduating from the University of Strathclyde in Arts and Business Studies.
Air Marshal Peter Ruddock CB CBE FRAeS RAF (Ret’d)
Peter Ruddock was Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin UK between January 2016 and April 2021; he also served as chairman of the main fiduciary board and as a director on six subsidiary boards. Peter retired from the RAF as a 3-star early in 2011 and joined Lockheed Martin, as Business Development Director for the UK, later the same year. Peter was appointed a Trustee of the RAF Museums in 2021.
Air Marshal Ruddock’s early career as a fighter pilot included running the RAF’s equivalent of ‘Top Gun’ and displaying the Spitfire and Hurricane for 5 seasons. He held a number of high-grade staff appointments and commanded RAF Coningsby, where he was operational on the Tornado F3. Peter was the Director of Air Staff and completed an operational tour as the Commander of the UK Air Component for both Afghanistan and Iraq. Latterly, Peter served as the RAF’s Air Secretary / Personnel Director, prior to spending five years delivering a multi-billion pound a year defence portfolio for the UK MoD overseas.
Peter was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 2011, Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2001 and awarded the US Legion of Merit for outstanding leadership on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a Freeman of the City of London and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Nick Sanders
Nick is a engineer by training and spent the early part of his career in the aerospace industry with Rolls Royce and Lucas Aerospace ( now part of Collins Aerospace) in a variety of technical and operational roles.
He then moved into the Private Equity industry firstly as CEO of CompAir ( an air compressor manufacturer) and then Deloro Stellite ( a specialist materials business). He then became a founding partner of Better Capital LLP where he took on the role of Executive Chairman of Gardner Aerospace.
Nick now manages a portfolio of private businesses and advises Private Equity firms on new or existing investments.
A life long aerospace enthusiast he was involved with the Vulcan to the Skies trust before becoming a Trustee of the RAF Museums.
RAF Representative
Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall CBE MA LLB RAF
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall grew up in York, graduating from the University of Nottingham with a Law degree and becoming a member of East Midlands University Air Squadron before joining the Royal Air Force as a Navigator in 1994. During 3 tours flying on the Tornado F3, she participated in numerous operational deployments in Iraq, conducted Quick Reaction Alert in defence of the UK and the Falkland Islands, qualified as a Weapons Instructor and deployed on many overseas, multi-national training exercises.
Command appointments include Fast Jet Weapons System Officer Training, Officer Commanding
No. 92(R) Squadron in the Air Warfare Centre responsible for operational Tactics & Training, Officer Commanding No. 55(R) Squadron delivering Rear Crew Flying Training, Deputy Commander of the Royal Air Force’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and
Reconnaissance Force, Commandant of the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell and Air Officer Commanding of No. 2 Group. She was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in June 2024.
In operational command and control, she has worked with coalition partners in the Middle East Combined Air Operations Centre, where she was involved in the design and execution for the Second Gulf War in 2003 and then in 2019 as the Director of Coalition Air Operations in Iraq, Syria, the Arabian Gulf, Afghanistan, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Staff appointments include 3 years working in defence procurement, time in the Typhoon Force Headquarters delivering training transformation and defence sales, and 5 years spent working in the joint strategic environment, initially in the Operations Directorate of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and also as Military Assistant to the Vice Chief of Defence Staff.
A graduate of Advanced Command and Staff Course (2009) and Higher Command and Staff Course (2019), she holds a Masters in Defence Studies. Suraya is married to Air Marshal Al Marshall. They have 2 university-age children and in between work and studies the family enjoys spending as much time as possible together, travelling overseas and trying most outdoor activities, especially skiing, hiking, cycling and diving
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