Niven Phoenix

With over 20 years’ experience as a pilot, instructor, and facilitator, Niven offers a wealth of practical experience in flight operations and other safety critical industries. As a former military pilot, and current commercial pilot, he is ideally placed to advise on Human Factors, Safety Management and recruitment issues.

Niven is one of the founding members of Kura Human Factors.

James Thurrell

James Thurrell has over 25 years of experience as a former Royal Air Force pilot and training captain who taught and mentored new pilots on the Boeing C-17 Globemaster. He is current on the Boeing 747 and is skilled in engaging with confidence and knowledge necessary to help develop new skills and abilities.  He facilitates using soft skills; communication skills, loss and bereavement, coping with stress and looking after yourself and has been delivering Human Factors training since its introduction in the mid-90s.

James is one of the founding members of Kura Human Factors.

Peter Whitten

Peter Whitten is a former Royal Air Force pilot who has seen at first hand the need for positive attitudes in the arena of mental health, especially when working with emotive issues in arduous circumstances. He has a steadfast belief in peer support and the benefits it can have on a pilot’s wellbeing and livelihood.  He currently flies the Boeing 787 on worldwide long haul operations.

Peter is one of the founding members of Kura Human Factors

Simon Mahon

Simon is a highly experienced Human Factors and Safety Management consultant presenting with a strong understanding of industrial psychology and human performance.

He has a proven ability to translate organisational change needs into results-driven programmes, extensive knowledge and experience gained as a result of 25 years’ service in high reliability roles. Simon possesses an eclectic, cross industry skill and knowledge base that translates readily into any safety critical role or organisation.

Craig Hunt

Craig Hunt is a former RAF pilot who completed front line tours supporting operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. He also instructed and managed aircrew under training as they began their careers as RAF pilots. These roles involved managing individuals during demanding and stressful periods of their lives and emphasised the personal and organisational benefits of peer support and mental health awareness.

Craig is a TRiM Practitioner and Manager as well as a Mental Health First Aid Practitioner. He is passionate about promoting positive mental health, resilience and wellbeing to ensure an individual can fulfil their potential and help an organisation reach its goals.

Tom O’Reilly

Tom flies the line as a Senior First Officer on the Boeing 787 and is one of our team of Pilots, First Officers, Captains & Training Captains working for airlines around the world.

Tom’s career has spanned many departments within the airline industry. He started as an Aircraft Dispatcher at Stansted Airport before completing his Professional Flight Training. After completion he joined BMI as cabin crew before securing a First Officer position with Loganair on the Saab 340. From there he moved to British Midland followed by British Airways on the A320 which he flew until 2016, before moving on to the Boeing 787.

This varied career before becoming a First Officer and subsequently in a First Officer role allows Tom to view all aspects of the industry with a clear and personal viewpoint providing excellent guidance for the support of pilot peers.

Laurie Ling

Laurie Ling has spent over 30 years as a commercial pilot, the last 19 years as a long-haul Captain. He is a passionate advocate of ensuring that pilots receive support during those times of difficulty in their lives understanding firstly we are all human and secondly that the flying lifestyle brings its own unique pressures that can often only be understood by their peers.

He has undertaken training externally to support those suffering from alcohol and drug dependence and has been a peer support adviser since its inception in his current airline. He believes that the ability to confidentially support pilots is key to ensuring proper duty of care to the individual and the safety of the operation.

Paul Dickens

Paul is a Chartered Psychologist and Accredited Aviation Psychologist specialising in aircrew psychological assessment as well as team development in the aerospace and defence sector. Registered Practitioner Clinical Psychologist with the UK Health and Care Professions Council.

Dr Simon Petrie

Simon is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist who read Psychology at Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities and practiced as a clinician in the NHS in Scotland for 12 years prior to going into the corporate sector in 2006.

Simon has a specialism in fear of flying and has successfully treated hundreds of people with this particular anxiety. His passion is sport and has worked closely with high profile Olympians, professional athletes and world champions in numerous sports, as well as having travelled overseas with international teams.

Dr Kirsty Dalrymple

Dr Kirsty Dalrymple is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, and an alumni of Glasgow University where she did both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. She was employed in the NHS in Scotland from 2001 in a variety of posts, most recently at the Consultant grade, prior to working full time in the private sector.

Kirsty has significant experience of working with children, adolescents, families and adults, with particular expertise in the the field of attachment and trauma. She is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, and is invited to talk nationally on childhood attachment and trauma.

A specialism of Kirsty’s is providing expertise into the legal system, where she regularly produces reports and expert evidence.

Marc Atherton

Marc is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Accredited Aviation Psychologist. His background is in psychological assessment, psychological wellbeing, stress management, and training needs analysis in the aerospace and defence sectors. Statutorily Registered as a Practitioner Occupational Psychologist with the UK Health and Care Professions Council.

Helen Heenan

Helen was Head of the CRM training department for Flybe. In this role Helen led, trained was responsible for the creation and delivery of all the initial and recurrent courseware for the company’s 1700 aircrew the company’s 1700 aircrew.

Her work has been acknowledged by the UK CAA as ‘The most engaged class observed for a very long time’, and from external clients as ‘The best delivery of CRM I’ve ever seen’.

Helen remained at Flybe for over 20 years, until when in March 2020 she was made redundant following the sudden collapse of the regional airline.  She now works as an independent training consultant, specialising in all aspects of CRM training, and the Application of CRM/Human Factors Principles in other Safety Critical Industries.

Ross Priday

Ross is a qualified safety professional, strategic programme manager and inspiring public speaker. Ross draws on his 30 years of experience in the aviation sector to advise clients on how to improve business performance whilst enhancing safety across operations. Ross’s key consultancy skill is listening to the client, in order to fully understand what is really needed.

As an accomplished public speaker, Ross has presented widely on a variety of engineering, Human Factors, Just Culture and general interest topics. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and is a regular speaker on the RAeS lecture circuit. He presents on a variety of topics at conferences and events around the world, as well as entertaining cruise passengers as an onboard enrichment speaker for cruise lines such as Cunard.

Claire Beharrell

Claire has a degree in applied science with psychology and human biology and a passion for Human factors and Mental Health awareness.  She has sat as a member of the human factors training team for a large commercial airline and is a customer service and Health and Safety Trainer and has a warm, approachable and engaging training style.

Claire has over 15 years experience training Cabin crew, Pilots and college students in a safety critical industry. She has written and developed courses and ensured their effective delivery.

Nicola Steevenson

A former fast jet Navigator, Nic spent over 10 years in the RAF where she was a highly qualified instructor and mentor. She latterly worked as a key operator; planning and leading developmental missile firings in a demanding, pressured environment.

In addition to her military experience Nic worked as Chief Ground Instructor for a major European Airline with oversight of all theoretical knowledge instruction.

Nic is a qualified Crew Resource Management Trainer and has provided specialist advice and training to Devon Air Ambulance Crews including doctors, paramedics, pilots and ground staff.

Phil Gilling

Phil has over 30 years experience as an RAF helicopter pilot that included extensive operational experience and Human Factors training. His Human Factors and leadership training skills were combined to develop programmes to train both teams and individuals in how to make critical decisions in high-pressure, high-risk situations. Phil concluded his RAF service as the Air Safety Manager for the Central Flying School (CFS) and the RAF’s aerobatic team, The Red Arrows.

Dr Eleanor Ivory

Dr Eleanor Ivory qualified from Cambridge University and St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School. She specialised in Accident and Emergency Medicine and has been a CAA Authorised Medical Examiner since 2004.

Totally smitten with aviation she obtained her PPL before going on to complete several flying courses including commercial. She worked as an air ambulance doctor and medical officer for NATS before becoming a First Officer for bmibaby on the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. Flying part-time has allowed a continuous active involvement in aviation medicine.

Eleanor moved to British Airways in July 2012 and is now a Senior First Officer on the A320. She runs a busy aviation medical practice and acts as a civilian medical office for Air Tanker. Eleanor is a Trustee and Medical Adviser for Flying Scholarships for Disabled People.

Dr Ian Mollan

Ian Mollan is current Head of Aerospace Medicine Interoperability at Air and Space Interoperability Council. At the height of the Afghan Conflict he was the sole UK Validating Flight Surgeon overseeing control and coordination of the UK’s strategic Aeromedical Evacuation system. Responsible for the safe, appropriate and cost-effective repatriation of 18,000 patients over the 4-year period and during the period of highest operational intensity of Operation HERRICK.

A former President of the RAF Medical Board, Ian has over two decades of experience in providing health and well-being advice to the aviation community. Ian, in conjunction with many of the Kura team saw the benefits of the military peer support system, TRIM, and used it to great effect in the RAF. He is a valued advisor on peer support and medical issues for all aircrew and a fantastic resource for the Kura Team.