Joshua Flood (UK)

Co-Founder & Senior Research Consultant
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Joshua Flood is a senior research consultant, director of maritime research, and one of the three co-founders of Valour Consultancy. He runs the maritime connectivity tracker, undertakes the research for our maritime connectivity annual study, and contributes to projects touching aviation connectivity, commercial UAS, and other interesting tech.

Away from work, Josh is a man of many unexpected talents. He is an accomplished pianist, aspiring linguist, and recently competed in the World Rowing Indoor 2024 Championships, just missing out on a podium place.

Craig Foster (UK)

Co-Founder & Senior Research Consultant
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Craig is a senior research consultant and one of the three co-founders of the business. Over the years, he has successfully launched several reports and trackers, particularly in the areas of IFEC and cabin technology in both commercial and business aviation. He has also led custom research and consulting engagements with companies throughout the value chain. Starting in 2024, Craig is charged with leading the development of a new research service dedicated to the fledgling Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector.

Prior to establishing Valour, he was a principal analyst at ABI Research and a market analyst at IMS Research. Foster is a regular event speaker and has been widely quoted in trade magazines and other media. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Leicester.

Aside from his aviation prowess, Craig is an aficionado of ‘80s music and once met Paul Young backstage at the illustrious Wells-next-the-Sea summer festival. His knowledge of obscure ‘90s footballers is of worldwide repute, and he is currently aspiring to achieve the same status in the realm of lawncare. A father of three, he recently entered the Guinness Book of Records for the most childrens’ toys picked up off the floor during a lunch break.

Daniel Welch (Australia)

Co-Founder & Senior Research Consultant
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Like Craig and Josh, Dan is a senior research consultant at Valour Consultancy. His background is in consumer to consumer research, having spent 5+ years at Ipsos, one of the largest research organisations in the world. During this period, Dan was responsible for building Ipsos’ mobile research business, both in Asia Pacific and the UK.

Originally from South Yorkshire, Dan still follows his beloved Doncaster Rovers from >10,000 miles away in Melbourne. Dan’s dedication to lower league football is highlighted by his refusal to join the company’s annual Fantasy Premier League competition. He is also a keen cyclist and coffee connoisseur.

John Devlin (UK)

Senior Research Consultant
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John has 20+ years of analyst experience and joined forces with Valour in 2021 to expand our services across a broader range of industry verticals. John is responsible for developing new coverage of airport and border technologies, utilising our shared expertise in aviation, identity, and biometrics. Much of his previous research and knowledge has focussed on eID, digital identity, and wider security solutions.

John’s expertise helps us to support clients in an increasingly digitised and connected world, often looking at how new technologies and approaches may disrupt and impact ecosystems, processes and relationships. He is currently writing our inaugural Smart Borders report and contributes to our Smart Airports Tracker. His bestselling report on The Seamless Passenger Journey in Smart Airports provides insights into the current smart airports market and the subsequent direction it is heading.

Always up for a social get-together and a keen fundraiser for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (and other) charities, John has organised several events and undertaken various challenges including duathlons, triathlons and cycling to Scotland and Paris. Unfortunately, this has not yet fully reversed the years of neglect and indulgence that he has enjoyed…

David Whelan (UK)

Senior Research Analyst
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David joined Valour Consultancy in 2019 and is based in London, UK. A specialist in IFEC and aircraft digitalisation, he is currently the lead analyst on Valour Consultancy’s flagship reports on in-flight connectivity and in-flight entertainment. In addition to his work on syndicated reports, David also contributes to a range of consultancy projects with airlines and vendors in the market.

David originates from Manchester, in the north of England, and is a keen supporter of Manchester City Football Club.

Kelly Rayworth (UK)

Market Intelligence Lead
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Kelly has over a decade of experience in the mobility sector. Prior to joining Valour, she was a key member of IMDC, an aviation consultancy that was eventually acquired by Global Eagle. Based in the UK, her role with Valour involves running our flagship quarterly IFEC tracker.

Kelly enjoys various pastimes such as reading, walking and getting to the gym (when she’s not ferrying her children to their different clubs and activities)!

Lauren Woods (Australia)

Office Manager
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Lauren’s relationship with Valour Consultancy can be traced right back to its origins in 2012, having met directors Dan and Josh during her time in London. 10 years on, the journey came full circle when she joined the business in a fundamental role as Office Manager. Lauren has previously spent more than 15 years working in the finance industry, specifically stockbroking administration, and brings much needed experience when it comes to both administration and streamlining operations.

A self-proclaimed sporting fanatic, Lauren now spends most weekends ferrying her three boys to their own sporting commitments. She has officially become the chief orange cutter!

Aidan Prescott (UK)

Market Intelligence Analyst
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Aidan is a market intelligence analyst at Valour Consultancy, having completed his Masters in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Loughborough University. His role centres on developing our tracker products, which span in-flight entertainment, in-flight connectivity, maritime connectivity and smart airports technologies.

Aidan is based in Lincoln and is a big supporter of Chelsea Football Club. In the past, he has represented Loughborough University and Bracebridge ABC as an amateur boxer and is also therefore responsible for chasing overdue invoices! Aidan enjoys playing chess in his spare time too.

Alishia Sims (UK)

Market Research Analyst
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Alishia joined Valour Consultancy in 2022, having completed a Master of Research at Edge Hill University. She is a Market Research Analyst in our maritime team and the author of our digitalisation reports.

Having quickly built a rapport with clients through hard work and establishing trust, Alishia was recently honoured with Via Satellite’s Rising Stars of 2024 award.

Living near Manchester, Alishia spends her spare time volunteering as a part of Girlguiding UK. She also holds a great love for both books and coffee, which makes her a great supporter of local cafés.

Summer Staninski (UK)

Market Research Analyst
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Summer joined the Valour Consultancy team in March 2023, having graduated with a Master of Business, Economics, specialising in policy evaluation.

Working in tandem with David Whelan in our London office, she has helped to expand our cabin technology research portfolio with an initial focus on the market for in-flight entertainment content. More recently, Summer has led our research into the market for IFC in business aviation and will continue to delve into the market for advanced air mobility as we head into 2025.

Caroline Fearnley (UK)

Sales and Marketing Lead
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Caroline joined Valour Consultancy in May 2023 and is responsible for leading the company’s sales and marketing activities.

She brings with her a wealth of experience from the consultancy, legal, and charity sectors. Caroline spent three years at Hakluyt & Company, and most recently, four years at Lyme Disease UK, where she led the charity’s annual awareness campaign. Caroline holds a Graduate Diploma in Law, subsequently joining the business development team at Pinsent Masons LLP in London. In July 2023, she was also invited to join the board of trustees at Anaphylaxis UK.

Following a move to Eastbourne on the south coast of England, Caroline enjoys walking in the South Downs National Park.

Shubh Karbhari (UK)

Market Research Analyst
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As a recent university graduate in International Business, Shubh is currently based in the land of the foxes, Leicester. He has joined our airports and borders team with a specific interest in market research and analysis.

Outside of work, he is a keen supporter of the former Premier League champions, Leicester City Football Club. He enjoys playing recreational basketball in organized leagues in his spare time, whilst also being an avid traveller, aiming to learn about new cultures and experience different cuisines that the world has to offer.

Arabella Kearney (UK)

Market Research Analyst
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Arabella joined Valour Consultancy as a market research analyst in November 2024, after completing her masters in Strategic Entrepreneurship and Innovation at King’s College London. Having always wanted to go into consultancy, she is an addition to the land mobility team and is working alongside Daniel on our upcoming reports on the future of connectivity in rail and mining.

Based in Hertfordshire, she will be spending time with the team in the London office. In her free time, Arabella can often be found at the gym or in a Pilates class but only after a substantial amount of coffee! She will also be the first to discover a new restaurant to trial around London.