Ben is leading the Altaeros team on its journey to bring modern infrastructure to the billions of un-served and under-served people around the world. He is driven by a belief that business and technical innovation are the key to creating positive, scalable impact. At Altaeros, Ben is responsible for setting the company’s strategic vision and keeping the whole team moving towards that vision, as well as providing operational direction for the company. Ben originally developed the idea for Altaeros while researching compact, efficient turbomachinery as part of the MIT Gas Turbine Lab. After developing the initial prototypes, Ben co-founded Altaeros in 2010. He holds a BS and MS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from MIT.

Jeff Lloyd-Jones joined Altaeros as President in 2023. Prior to joining Altaeros, Jeff served as the Vice President of Strategic Business Development for Ultra Intelligence and Communication where he directed global operations for business capture in the Command, Control and Intelligence Business Unit.  He also held the collateral positions of Director of Programs and President of the US Chapter of the International Data Link Society. Prior to joining Ultra, Jeff held the rank of Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy and retired after 22 years of service from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific (SSC PAC). Jeff earned a Master of Science degree from the University of San Diego and attended the Naval Postgraduate School where he studied Systems Engineering.

Ike joined Altaeros in June 2022. He brings over 20 years of Accounting, Finance, and Business Process experience from high-technology companies. Working in concert with other members of the leadership team, his expertise is instrumental in strengthening and scaling the company in its mission to simplify how data is shared between people, machines, and networks. Prior to Altaeros, he was VP of Finance and Accounting at Transmedics. He previously served in senior leadership roles at Kadant, Haemonetics, and Avid. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of Benin, Nigeria.

Jon joined Altaeros in 2014 and has taken a number of roles within the company, including aerodynamics lead, flight director, and program manager, before stepping up to VP Engineering in Software Systems in 2022. In this role, Jon leads the development of Altaeros’ Aerostat Autopilot, leveraging operational data as a means for continuous product development. Jon obtained his PhD from MIT’s Gas Turbine Laboratory, studying the flow through large turbocharger compressors in experiments and via computational fluid dynamic simulations. Prior to his graduate studies, Jon worked as an engineering consultant undertaking due diligence for investors in municipal waste and renewable energy projects in the UK. Jon holds a PhD from MIT and an MEng from Cambridge University, UK.

John Umina joined Altaeros in 2016 with a passion for engineering and a vision for the SuperTower. After 20+ years of engineering experience in product design, manufacturing, and certification, John is able to lead the hardware team with an expert hand. He brings a perspective to Altaeros from his experiences at GE to running his own consulting business. John is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Massachusetts and holds five patents. John earned his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University.