Sir Peter Beck
Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chair of the Board, Rocket Lab
Since founding Rocket Lab in 2006, Peter has grown it into a global organisation that develops and launches advanced rockets, satellites and spacecraft. Peter has served on Rocket Lab's board of directors, and as its President and Chief Executive Officer since July 2013 and was appointed Chairman of the Board in May 2021.
From 2013, Peter led the development of the Electron Sir Peter's leadership, Rocket Lab pioneered advanced aerospace manufacturing techniques for Electron, including 3D printed rocket engines, electric-pump-fed rocket engines and fully carbon composite fuel tanks. Peter also led the development of their private orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1, located in Mahia, New Zealand, which required the establishment of an international treaty and legislation to enable Rocket Lab to use U.S. launch and spacecraft technology that otherwise would not be permitted for launches from foreign soil.
Prior to founding Rocket Lab, Peter began his career in 1993 with an apprenticeship as precision engineer at global appliance manufacturer Fisher & Paykel, before moving into production machinery design, product design and analysis. He later went to a government research institute in 2003 where he focused on advanced composites structures and materials for high performance applications. While at the government lab, Peter led several complex engineering programs to optimise technologies including wind turbines and superconductors. In his own time, Peter began building rockets at an early age, steadily increasing their size and complexity. In 2006, Peter founded Rocket Lab and led its efforts to successfully launch Atea-1 in 2009, which they believe is the first commercially-developed rocket to reach space from the Southern Hemisphere.
An award-winning engineer, Peter has been presented with the Gold Medal from the Royal Aeronautical Society, Meritorious Medal from the New Zealand Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Cooper Medal and Pickering Medal from the Royal Society of New Zealand. In addition, in recognition of Peter's outstanding contributions to aerospace, entrepreneurship and technical innovation he was appointed as an adjunct professor in aerospace engineering by the University of Auckland. In 2024 Peter was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the aerospace industry, business and education.