Tommaso Sgobba is the executive director, board secretary, and the former president of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS). Until October 2012, Sgobba was responsible for flight safety at the European Space Agency (ESA), including human-rated systems, spacecraft re-entries, space debris, use of nuclear power sources, and planetary protection. He joined the European Space Agency in 1989, after 13 years in the aeronautical industry. Later he became product assurance and safety manager for all European manned missions on Shuttle, MIR station, and for the European research facilities for the International Space Station.