Our governance

The MAA operates a series of high-level meetings, providing the organisation with a strong governance structure.

  • MAA Gold (Termly)

MAA Gold is the MAA’s top level formal governance mechanism. It sets strategic direction and policy and is the endorsing body for significant regulatory change. MAA Gold provides strategic direction for the development of the organization and the conduct of its activities through prioritizing outputs and delivering strategic outcomes, in accordance with the Director MAA’s vision and purpose.

Chaired by Director MAA, the MAA Gold membership comprises the MAA’s Director (Technical), the two 1* Group Heads (of Operating Assurance and Regulation & Certification) and the Chief of Staff (COS). The Board meets three times a year as the culminating meeting of the Termly Governance Cycle.

  • MAA Bronze

Bronze is a business focused MAA departmental Head governance meeting, chaired by COS MAA and reports to MAA Gold (Termly). Bronze has authority to direct internal action in developing the Operating and Business Model to enable the assured delivery of DSA mandated outputs.

  • Shadow Board

The shadow command board is designed to enable greater engagement from across rank, grade, and more junior personnel, and provide a platform for the MAA Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to look at problems differently.  With equal access to strategies, plans and full knowledge of outputs, the Shadow Command Board leverages a different demographic’s insights, to bring diversity of thought and perspective to influence Command Board (GOLD Termly) decisions.

  • Risk Exposure Forum (REF)

The REF forms part of the MAA’s Termly Governance Cycle (TGC). The REF is intended to be both a briefing event and a discussion forum, that enables aviation risks and risk to life concerns to be shared and explored by all MAA staff. Internal actions are captured, and the key areas of concern are shared with the Operating Duty Holder (ODH) community and other 2* formations and headquarters via the REF out letter. The REF process also provides a conduit through which high level lessons and good practice can be spread across the aviation community via the MAA Operators Council (MOC). In discharging its role, the REF operates in a transparent and collegiate fashion, in the best interests of Defence.

  • MAA Operators’ Council (MOC)

The MOC is the MAA’s highest level consultative body. It facilitates senior stakeholder engagement on air safety regulation, policy and standards; highlighting any enterprise level air safety risks and considering potential means of their mitigation. The MOC aims to enhance defence understanding of the risk to life being carried at the aviation Operational Duty Holder (ODH) level and above.

Chaired by Director MAA, MOC membership comprises representatives from across defence aviation. The Council meets termly.

  • Industry Engagement Council (IEC)

The IEC supports and informs MAA Gold on military air safety issues through consultation with the aerospace industry. It is supported by advisory groups (AG) established to cover specific areas of military air safety regulation, headed by a 1* Steering Group.

Chaired by the Director MAA, IEC membership comprises representatives from the aerospace industry (principally the aerospace, defence and security industry grouping), the CAA and, recognising its role as the principal MOD contracting body with industry, DE&S. Director Technical attends as appropriate. The committee meets Termly.

Related Information