Cambridge, UK, 9th May 2014 – CW’s drive to grow and build connections between academia, the research community and wireless and related industries has never been stronger and is reflected in the recent CW Board elections.
This year’s elections have been closely contested with a record number of candidates and number of votes from members. There were two Founder Member Board seats and one Associate Board seat up for renewal, and CW is excited to announce the 2014 winners were as follows:
- William Webb, elected to the Associate Seat
- David Cleevely, elected to the Founder Seat
- John Haine, elected to the Founder Seat
As the votes between the winning second seat and the third Founder Member seat were very close, the CW Board has also invited Paul Bruce of BT to attend future CW Board meetings as an observer/advisor.
“I am delighted to be part of this vibrant and highly-focused technology community,” commented Dr David Cleevely, Chairman of CW. “We will continue to promote an innovative environment in the UK to further strengthen our potential to compete in global markets.”
“I am very pleased to accept this nomination,” said Professor William Webb, CEO, Weightless SIG. ”There is a huge need for informed debate on the future of wireless communications and the CW community brings world class experience and knowledge to this process by adding different views on how technologies are conceptualised and perceived.”
“This is great news,” commented newly elected Dr John Haine, RF Technology Innovation Coordinator, u-blox AG. “I’ve really enjoyed participating in and organising CW events such as FWIC, and it will be a great privilege to work with the Board and Team to broaden and deepen what we can do for our membership. This is at the very core of the CW vision.”
We would like to thank all candidates who agreed to run in the CW election, and would also like to express our appreciation to all members who voted and took an active part in shaping the future of Cambridge Wireless. CW draws on Board Members, their expertise and strategic input to help set new goals and challenges for the CW community and entire wireless industry.
Information about the winners:
Dr David Cleevely, CBE, FREng, FIET - Chairman
David Cleevely was appointed the Founding Director and Executive Committee Member of the Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge in 2009. He is the Chairman of CRFS, which he co-founded in July 2007, and the founder and former Chairman of telecoms consultancy Analysys (acquired by Datatec International in 2004). In 1998, he co-founded the web based antibody company Abcam (ABC.L) with Jonathan Milner and was Chairman until November 2009. In late 2004 he co-founded the 3G femto base station company, 3WayNetworks, which was sold to Airvana in April 2007. He has invested in over 35 companies and is Chairman of four of them, including the award winning restaurant “Bocca di Lupo”. He has been a prime mover behind Cambridge Network, co-founder of Cambridge Wireless, co-founder and Chairman of Cambridge Angels and is a member of the IET Communications Policy Panel. For 8 years until March 2009 he was a member of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board. From 2001 to 2008 he was a member of the Ministry of Defence Board overseeing information systems and services (DES-ISS, formerly the Defence Communications Services Agency). After being sponsored to study Cybernetics at Reading by Post Office Telecommunications, he joined their Long Range Studies Division. A PhD at Cambridge was then followed by the Economist Intelligence Unit in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the IET.
Professor William Webb BEng, MBA, PhD, CEng, FREng FIET, FIEEE, CEO Weightless SIG and Independent Consultant
William is CEO of the Weightless SIG, the standards body developing a new global M2M technology. He is a Director at Webb Search, an independent consultancy, and President-Elect of the IET. He was one of the founding directors of Neul, a company developing machine-to-machine technologies and networks, which was formed at the start of 2011. Prior to this William was a Director at Ofcom where he managed a team providing technical advice and performing research across all areas of Ofcom’s regulatory remit. He also led some of the major reviews conducted by Ofcom including the Spectrum Framework Review, the development of Spectrum Usage Rights and most recently cognitive or white space policy. Previously, William worked for a range of communications consultancies in the UK in the fields of hardware design, computer simulation, propagation modelling, spectrum management and strategy development. William also spent three years providing strategic management across Motorola’s entire communications portfolio, based in Chicago. William has published 13 books, over 100 papers, and 18 patents. He is a Visiting Professor at Surrey University, a Board member of Cambridge Wireless, other oversight Boards and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the IEEE and the IET. His biography is included in multiple “Who’s Who” publications around the world. William has a first class honours degree in electronics, a PhD and an MBA. He can be contacted at
[email protected]Dr John Haine, RF Technology Innovation Coordinator, u-blox AG
John is a graduate in electronics with a PhD in microwave engineering and has worked in radio and wireless technology for 40 years, starting with BT, Marconi, and PA Technology. After PA John was a founder director of Cognito (the UK’s first dedicated public mobile data network), then Ionica, playing a key role in leading the radio technology of both companies. He joined TTPCom in 1999 where he held senior positions in research, IPR management, and strategy; and was involved in various M&A projects. After TTPCom was acquired by Motorola, and a stint as a Director Technology Strategy with Motorola Mobile Devices, John joined ip.access as CTO Enterprise Systems. Since 2009 he has been with Cognovo, now u-blox, where he is involved in strategic innovation in their wireless business. During his career John has worked in companies large and small, start-ups and well-established, network operators, manufacturers, and technology suppliers, and in standards bodies. Building on this wide experience and deep technical knowledge, he now focuses on areas where future business needs and advanced device technologies intersect. John contributed to FWIC 2011 and has served on the organising committee of FWIC since 2012; he also champions the successful Radio Technology SIG.
Information about the Cambridge Wireless Board:
Currently the Board of Cambridge Wireless consists of:
- 5 Founder Member representatives, elected by Founder Members only
- 2 proposed Associate Member representatives elected by Associate Members and appointed by the Board
- 2 seats co-opted by the elected Board Members
Elections are held every year for positions at the Board, so if you are a member and are interested in participating in a future election please contact louise.higgins[at]cambridgewireless[dot]co.uk. Please note all Board positions at Cambridge Wireless are unpaid. The Board usually meets quarterly, although Board Members do contribute considerably more time in email support for Cambridge Wireless staff and informal meetings.
ENDS
About Cambridge Wireless (CW):
CW is the leading international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless & mobile, internet, semiconductor and software technologies. With 400 members from major network operators and device manufacturers to innovative start-ups and universities, CW stimulates debate and collaboration, harnesses and shares knowledge, and helps to build connections between academia and industry. CW's 20 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide its members with a dynamic forum where they can network with their peers, track the latest technology trends and business developments and position their organisations in key market sectors. CW also organises the annual Future of Wireless International Conference and Discovering Start-ups competition along with other high-quality industry networking events and dinners. With headquarters at the heart of Cambridge, UK, CW partners with other international industry clusters and organisations to extend its reach and remain at the forefront of global developments and business opportunities.
For more information, please visit
www.cambridgewireless.co.ukFor further information please contact:
Lily Cheng Cambridge Wireless 01223 967101, lily.cheng[at]cambridgewireless[dot]co.uk
Distributed on behalf of Cambridge Wireless by NeonDrum news distribution service (
http://www.neondrum.com)
