Maria Byford

Air Vice-Marshal Maria Byford, is a senior retired Royal Air Force officer who served as Chief of Staff Personnel and Air Secretary from February 2020 to July 2023.

RAF career Byford studied dentistry at King's College London, graduating with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree in 1991. That year, she joined the Royal Air Force (RAF). After a career in dentistry, she became Head of the Personnel Division at HQ Surgeon-General in 2011. She was appointed Honorary Dental Surgeon to the Queen (QHDS) in 2015. She was involved in a RAF recruitment campaign to promote racial and gender diversity in the service, which Sky News alleged discriminated against white men. She retired from the RAF in July 2023.