Elizabeth Seward takes CEO role at SuperSharp in Cambridge

She succeeds Marco Gomez-Jenkins, who co-founded SuperSharp in 2019 alongside Prof. Ian Parry and Dr. George Hawker when the company was a research project at the University of Cambridge.

She will lead SuperSharp throughout its next growth phase, as the company scales the commercialisation of its next-generation Thermal InfraRed (TIR) Space instruments for dual-use applications. Seward will start as SuperSharp’s Deputy CEO this month and transition to the CEO role in Q2 2026, working alongside Marco to ensure a smooth transition.

“I’m delighted to join SuperSharp, to support the growth and development of the organisation,” said Elizabeth. “With its unique technologies, SuperSharp has developed a new capability for the Earth Observation market, which I am looking forward to bringing to customers and users. I am passionate about leveraging space technologies to drive sector-wide benefits and global progress, and it is a privilege to join the excellent founders and team.”

Seward has over 20 years of experience in the Space and Defence domains, having held senior positions at BAE Systems and Airbus Defence and Space. Most recently, she served as Head of Space Strategy at BAE Systems where she supported various strategic initiatives including the campaign for the multi-sensor Azalea programme.

With a technical background, her early career started with satellite engineering roles before transitioning to business development and strategy. Elizabeth has been involved with start-up organisations previously sitting on the advisory board of Seraphim VC, and as an angel investor.

“Elizabeth’s track record in driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence in different Space organisations makes her an outstanding fit to steer SuperSharp into its next chapter,” said Chairman Lord Stuart Peach, Chair of SuperSharp’s Board of Directors. “The Board and management team are confident that she will be a great leader and will help us deliver value to our customers, employees, and shareholders.”

Under Marco’s leadership, SuperSharp has grown from three co-founders to 40 employees, generating a multimillion-pound turnover and securing contracts with institutional partners like the UK Space Agency (UKSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), as well as joining the Satlantis group in 2023.

“Today, SuperSharp is at an inflection point. We have three flight contracts for our TIR telescopes in Q1 2027, where we will demonstrate the value of ultra-high temperature maps for a variety of applications. Elizabeth is the ideal leader to continue our mission of empowering our world in responding to global change using TIR telescopes,” said Gomez-Jenkins.

SuperSharp develops space telescopes to capture high-resolution thermal infrared (TIR) images of the earth. The company’s unique technology allows it to fit a large telescope in a small satellite, making low-cost, high-resolution, and frequent earth-imaging possible.

This makes powerful TIR space telescopes much more affordable while achieving 4x greater resolution per unit cost than the current state-of-the-art solutions. The images captured by SuperSharp’s space telescopes can be used for applications such as tackling climate change, crop monitoring, and maintaining global security.

SuperSharp is a SATLANTIS business In May 2023 the companies announced that SATLANTIS had acquired a controlling interest in SuperSharp. The agreement ensured that SuperSharp has the financial and industrial resources required to reach the first in-orbit demonstration. This deal created a global leader in high-resolution electro-optical payloads for small satellites, with a presence in Spain, France, the United States through SATLANTIS LLC, and now the UK.

SATLANTIS designs and manufactures earth & Universe Observation payloads for Small Satellites, core of a unique set of electro-optical technologies. The company provides user-driven end-to-end small satellite solutions for diverse applications, including greenhouse gas detection, defence and intelligence, land monitoring, and much more.