Philip Shepherd is hoping to ‘give something back’ to Wiltshire Air Ambulance after becoming the charity’s newest trustee.
A barrister specialising in aviation law, Philip was born in Surrey but has lived in Wiltshire, on the edge of Salisbury Plain, for the past three years.
Having visited the airbase to meet chairman Chris Lear and chief executive David Philpott, Philip was quick to praise the work going on in Semington.
Philip ShepherdPhilip said:
“I visited three months ago and that absolutely confirmed in my mind that this is easily the best setup that I’ve ever seen in any helicopter operation – and I’ve seen quite a few. This is streets ahead.
“My background is in aviation law and I’ve spent over 30 years in the industry.
“It just struck me that bringing my skills to a fantastic operation like this could be useful.
“My professional life has been spent making money out of aviation and, although it sounds rather cheesy, I want to give something back now.
“I know Wiltshire Air Ambulance has had a challenging 12 months, so if I can contribute something, however small, then I’d like to do that.”
Philip has appeared as leading counsel in many significant cases relating to aerospace law, including Lockerbie Pan Am 106, British Midland Kegworth, Air France AF 447 and Malaysian Airlines MH 370.
He is married to Francesca, a solicitor, and they have five sons.
He added:
“Being based on the outskirts of Salisbury Plain we see a lot of military aviation and indeed the Wiltshire Air Ambulance helicopter flying overhead on almost a daily basis.”
Trustees of our charity provide strategic leadership and give their time for free.
David Philpott commented:
“We are delighted that Philip has joined our board and can’t believe our good fortune that we have living on our doorstep – so to speak – an aviation barrister who has been involved in some of the most complex and challenging court cases affecting the air transportation in the past few decades. His contribution to our governance and strategic planning together with his industry knowledge will be invaluable.”