Speaker biographies - Industrial Networking and Wireless Communications in Control

Industrial Networking and Wireless Communications in Control

16 October 2007 University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

David Boyle
Managing Director, InfoStream UK Ltd
David is the Managing Director of InfoStream UK Ltd and is a fellow of the IET. He is a vibrant opinion leader with over 15 years of experience in the development and implementation of the very latest SCADA, telemetry and Information Technology. Most recently David has led the use of cellular data communications and Smart Mobile Technology in the water industry. InfoStream UK provide innovative information systems for the Utility industry and specialise in the delivery of information to mobile phones, PDA’s and BlackBerry devices.

Olivier Coutelou
Olivier began his experience with Jay Electronique, a French company developing devices for industrial use: remote control, light guard, optoelectronic cells. In particular, as project manager, he developed a new range of safety radio remote control for rolling cranes. After ten years, he joined a “Thomson - Schneider Electric” Joint Venture in charge to investigate power line carrier technologies and markets. Olivier was leader of the analogic electronics team. One of the main topics was to study PLC propagation. Three years later Olivier was hired to join the Advanced Communication Technology team of the Schneider Electric Corporate Research department. He is now in charge of two projects: ultra low power radio sensors for residential, building and industrial markets and the exploration of PLC technologies in industrial environments.

John French
Managing Director of industrial IT company, NETdot3 Ltd
John has 25 years of experience in the IT industry and has first hand project experience in most aspects of communications infrastructure and IT system design and implementation. After introducing the first generation of industrial ethernet products to the global market John left his role as Director of Product Marketing for Hirschmann in 1997/8 to establish NETdot3 Limited. NETdot3 quickly became the UK's first value added distributor for Hirschmann's industrial networking products. In 2006 John formed IT4Automation Limited as a network centric product distribution business for the automation industries. This allowed NETdot3 to develop into a pure service business, providing the IT skills, knowledge, project management and integration into a wide range of Automation companies.

Mike Ferris
Marketing Manager – Smart Wireless Solutions Europe, Middle East & Africa Emerson Process Management
Mike, Marketing Manager for Smart Wireless Solutions within the Rosemount Division of Emerson Process Management, is responsible for managing Emerson's Smart Wireless business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMA), and for leading the future development of smart wireless opportunities across the region. Mike has a wide industry background including time spent in the nuclear industry and as a Consulting Engineer. Prior to joining Emerson, he was European Marketing Manager for a global leader in hand-held test and measurement products. He began his career as an instrument apprentice in the UK power industry. Mike holds an Honours Degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from South Bank University, London and an MBA from Oxford Brookes University. He is a Member of the IET and is a Chartered Electrical Engineer.

John Hartley
John served a technical apprenticeship with Siemens plc in electrical and electronic engineering. On completion of training worked in Process Instrumentation department carrying out various roles including technical support and product sales and marketing. Left position in 1992 to form own company specialising in the sales and marketing of intrinsically safe and explosion proof equipment. Since 2001 Extronics has built up an engineering department offering solutions and systems for hazardous areas, including design and certification of explosion proof and purged enclosures. In 2004 the company certified the first WLAN access point for hazardous areas and since then has focused product R&D to wireless network based devices such as active WiFi RFID tags for real time location on a WLAN, enterprise WLAN's and GSM/GPRS RTU equipment.

Justin Lowe
Managing Consultant, PA Consulting Group
Justin is a Managing Consultant with PA Consulting Group based in the UK at PA's London office. Justin lead’s PA's Industrial Cyber Security services and specialises in the security of industrial process control, SCADA and automation systems. Justin has a strong background in both IT and control engineering and has spent the last five years assisting various organisations to address their process control system security risks. Justin lead a global industrial process control security programme for a major energy company which has undertaken risk assessments and security improvements at around 500 sites globally.

Roy Freeland
Roy is a Cambridge graduate engineer with wide international experience of running technology based companies. He ran Meggitt Electronics, was Group General Manager at Bowthorpe (Spirent) and CEO of United Industries. More recently he has run Broadcast automation and software businesses and worked on development of wireless video systems.