Sir Barry Thornton KCB, Managing Director

Sir Barry was appointed Managing Director to the Ascent Flight Training group of companies in September 2009.

Previous Roles
2007 – Chief of Materiel (Air)/Main Board member within MOD’s Defence Equipment & Support organisation and Air Member for Materiel on Air Force Board. Rank held – Air Marshal.
2006 – Commander-in-Chief Personnel & Training Command and Air Force Board Member for Personnel (responsible for all ground and flying training and all personnel matters).  Rank held – Air Marshal.
2003 – Director General Logistic Support (Air)/Board Member within MOD’s Defence Logistics Organisation and Air Force Board Member for Logistics (responsible for the in-service support of all military aircraft. Rank held – Air-Vice Marshal.
2000 – Executive Director/Board Member within MOD’s Defence Procurement Agency (portfolio of maritime and nuclear programmes) and Controller Aircraft on Air Force Board. Rank held – Air-Vice Marshal.
1998 - Director of Maritime Projects & Integrated Project Team leader for Nimrod MRA4. Rank held – Air Commodore.
1997 – Royal College of Defence Studies.
1994  - Technical and Business Head of Combat Aircraft Test & Evaluation within Defence Evaluation & Research Agency (now QinetiQ ).

Background

Sir Barry joined the Royal Air Force as an Engineering Officer immediately prior to reading Mechanical Engineering at Nottingham University. He held a wide variety of aerosystems appointments during his Service career and saw active service as part of the Commonwealth Ceasefire Monitoring Force in Rhodesia and during the first Gulf War. He has a Masters degree in Corporate Management from Cranfield University and is a graduate of the Cabinet Office Top Management Programme. He was made a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2004 New Years Honours List and was knighted in the same Order (KCB) in the 2007 Queens Birthday Honours List. He is married to Delia, a barrister, and has two sons, Oliver – a Royal Air Force student pilot, and William, a research engineer with LM Insys.