Management Team

Mr. Hart joined Virgin Orbit, LLC as its President in March 2017, and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Orbit, LLC since June 2017. From 1983 until he joined Virgin Orbit, LLC, Mr. Hart held various aerospace leadership roles at The Boeing Company, where he most recently served as Vice President of Government Satellite Systems. In that position, he oversaw Boeing’s government satellite programs, while developing and managing missions for the DoD, NASA, NOAA, and other national programs. Mr. Hart’s portfolio included marquee programs such as Global Positioning System (“GPS”), Wideband Global SATCOM, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) system, and the X-37 spaceplane. Mr. Hart holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the State University of New York at Albany and attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

Ms. O’Rear has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Virgin Orbit, LLC since July 2017 and is responsible for leading all corporate finance, budgeting, and accounting efforts across the business. Prior to joining Virgin Orbit, LLC, from July 2016 to May 2017, Ms. O’Rear led the finance and accounting team at Astronics Test Systems. From 2013 to mid-2016, Ms. O’Rear served as the Vice President of Finance at Thales Avionics InFlyt Experience and Thales North America. From 1997 to 2013, Ms. O’Rear served as the Deputy CFO and Senior Director of Finance at Thales Avionics In-Flight Entertainment. Prior to Thales Avionics, Ms. O’Rear held finance roles at B/E Aerospace and Lockheed Martin. Ms. O’Rear holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from California State University of Fullerton and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Redlands.

Mr. Simpson has served as Chief Strategy Officer of Virgin Orbit, LLC since November 2020 and is responsible for defining Vieco USA’s strategy and leading business development efforts across all end markets. Prior to joining Virgin Orbit, LLC full-time, he served as a board member of VO Holdings, Inc. from May 2019 through November 2020. Mr. Simpson previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Saturn Satellite Networks, Inc., a manufacturer of GEO communications satellites, from May 2019 to November 2020, and of ABS Corporation, a satellite connectivity and service provider, from December 2017 to August 2018. From September 2015 to December 2017, Mr. Simpson served as Senior Vice President for Strategy & Business Development at Aerojet Rocketdyne, where he led the company’s new business capture and strategic alignment initiatives. Prior to these roles, Mr. Simpson spent 35 years at Boeing in various leadership roles within the Satellite & Launch Business. Mr. Simpson holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Materials Engineering from University of California Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

Mr. Gingiss has served as Chief Operating Officer of Virgin Orbit, LLC since February 2021 and is responsible for leading the development of Vieco USA’s space launch program. Prior to joining Virgin Orbit, LLC, from September 2017 to January 2021, Mr. Gingiss served as the Chief Executive Officer of OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus. Prior to leading this joint venture, he served as Vice President of the Space Segment at OneWeb, where he was responsible for satellite and launch vehicle procurement. Prior to joining OneWeb, Mr. Gingiss served as the Director of Strategic Integration for Boeing’s Satellite Systems, where he was responsible for leading strategy and innovation efforts across government and commercial end markets. From 2011 to 2016, Mr. Gingiss was the Program Director of National Space Communications Programs (NSCP) and Advanced Systems Programs (ASP). From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Gingiss led the Systems Engineering organization for Boeing’s GPS IIF through its first two launches in May 2010 and July 2011. Mr. Gingiss holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics & Astronautics from MIT.

Prior to becoming the Chief Legal Officer in December 2021, Mr. Boston served as the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Virgin Orbit, LLC since April 2017.  He leads the company’s legal team and is responsible for all of the company’s legal matters. Prior to joining Virgin Orbit, LLC, from March 2008 to January 2017, he served as Executive Vice President, Business Development and General Counsel of Panavision Inc., where he oversaw all legal matters across the business and led strategic business development projects. He also served from 2010 to 2013 as President of Panavision’s Advanced Imaging Group, through which he led three of its subsidiaries. Mr. Boston is a corporate securities lawyer and has been a partner at Irell & Manella and Guth | Christopher, both based in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Boston holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.