Leadership, GOVERNANCE AND THE WIDER team
People
Behind First Light Fusion is a team of extremely talented scientists, engineers, technicians and business experts. Our team come from a range of backgrounds but are all united by a passion for realising fusion energy at scale.
Our leadership team
First Light Fusion is headed up by an Executive Management Team with unparalleled knowledge, insight and deep sector expertise and experience in a diverse range of fields, including energy, business, military, finance, and deep tech.
Mark Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
Mark joined First Light in 2025 after a decade growing and leading Reaction Engines, a multi-award-winning UK technology company known for its pioneering developments in space propulsion, hypersonic flight, and cooling technology solutions for Formula 1 motorsport.
Before joining Reaction Engines, Mark spent 22 years in the Defence and Civil Aerospace divisions of Rolls-Royce plc, most notably in Chief Engineer roles. Mark’s last role with Rolls-Royce was leading the company’s future civil aerospace programmes and technology demonstrators.
Mark is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1993.
David Bryon
Chief Financial Officer
David brings more than two decades of diverse industry experience to First Light, including over 15 years supporting UK university spinouts in senior roles.
His career has given him deep, hands-on experience of turning research and technology into commercial success – with an eye for pragmatic, real-world outcomes.
Tech start-ups are a natural fit for his skills, and his business insight helps First Light’s teams make hard things possible.