Simon Harper in

Simon Harper

Inquirer · DISC type cd
Head of Engineering - Prototype & Testing at UK Fusion Energy
📍 United Kingdom

Simon Harper is a multi-disciplinary engineering leader specializing in the development and testing of new technologies. He has progressed from renewable energy systems at GE to a foundational role at Vertical Aerospace, where he was a key early employee. He now leads prototype and testing for the UKs fusion energy programme.

Interesting fact: Simon was the fourth employee to join the aerospace startup Vertical Aerospace, playing an instrumental role in its formative years and early eVTOL projects.

Read the full overview →
Experience
17 Years
Current Role
Head of Engineering - Prototype & Testing
Job Level
Mid-senior
Location
United Kingdom
Personality Overview

How Simon shows up

ROI Conscious
Upfront
Demanding

They respond well to confident salespeople. They care equally about the product and its potential impact. They focus on objectivity in a pitch and pay little attention to bells and whistles.

Priorities

Topics Simon cares about

Fusion Energy
Currently leads the engineering team for prototyping and testing at UK Fusion Energy, contributing to the UK's world-class STEP Fusion programme.
Aerospace Innovation
Spent over five years in senior roles at Vertical Aerospace, leading test and development for novel electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
+5 more topics Login to view topics
Career

Work history

9-2025
Head of Engineering - Prototype & Testing
UK Fusion Energy
5-2018 - 4-2025
Head of Test
Vertical Aerospace
5-2016 - 5-2018
Senior Special Project Engineer
Vertical Aerospace
11-2015 - 5-2016
Lead Mechanical Design Engineer (Tidal Turbines)
GE
10-2011 - 11-2015
Performance and Loads Engineer
Alstom Ocean Energy
In the press

Media appearances

No media yetWe could not find public media appearances for this person.
Education
2005 - 2010
Master of Engineering (MEng)
University of Bath
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

c

Calculativeness (C)

Calculativeness (C) reflects the degree to which a person is likely to be cautious, systematic and analytical. Those scoring high tend to emphasise quality and accuracy.

More profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Unlock the full playbookSee exactly how to sell to Simon. Free, 10 seconds.