Ben Diachun

Ben Diachun is an entrepreneur and aerospace executive with over 25 years of experience developing pioneering aircraft and spacecraft. A former president of Scaled Composites, CEO of Pivotal, and Global CTO of Supernal (part of Hyundai Motor Group), he has played key leadership roles in the design and development of 17 breakthrough vehicles—from SpaceShipOne, the first commercial manned spaceship, to Stratolaunch, the world’s largest composite airplane, and BlackFly, an electric personal air vehicle.

Ben is currently co-founder and CEO of an aerospace startup and leads Diachun Aero, a strategic aerospace consulting firm. In addition to serving on the board of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), supporting youth STEM initiatives and aviation workforce development, he also contributes to Purdue University’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Industrial Advisory Council.

A commercial pilot with instrument, multi-engine, and seaplane ratings, and 39 aircraft types flown, Ben holds engineering degrees from Purdue and Stanford. His work on SpaceShipOne earned him inclusion on the team awarded the 2004 Robert J. Collier Trophy, and he was recognized as a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus by Purdue in 2023.