Design team

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Meet Ian

What he does:

As the ‘Head of RF Solutions Design’ Ian has an extremely important role at the very heart of Virtua’s business, managing the technical delivery of RF solutions for all Virtua’s clients. With a ‘BSC Honours degree in Electronic and Communications Engineering’ and over 12 years experience in the Telecoms industry, Ian is one of the most widely respected experts in the industry.

How he works:

For Ian it’s the people in Virtua and the opportunity to use his talents creatively that makes the job so important to him. His expertise is such that it seems everyone wants a piece of his time during any average day but he gives his time willingly and cheerfully and he is very much the technical ‘authority’ that everyone refers too when they need help.

Who he is:

Anyone who meets Ian cannot fail to recognise that he is an extremely talented guy. Not only is he the widely respected Head of RF Solutions Design but he also manages to fill his days with music, reading, snowboarding, golf and snorkelling.

He has also played the piano since he was eight and is now learning the guitar. Ask him about his greatest achievement though and he will reply modestly that he is the proud inventor of the innovative ‘fish finger and cheese sandwich’!!!

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Meet Rob

What he does:

In my role I seem to get involved in everything. At the moment my responsibilities include the office technology, database development, various IT systems and providing technical consultancy. I’m a chartered engineer by profession with a long history in Motorola and Ferranti prior to joining Virtua.

I have extensive experience in GSM, GPRS, UMTS and IMS systems architectures as well as SS7 signalling, MAP, ISUP, BICC, SIP-T.SIP. I have extensive product knowledge of GSM BTS, GSM BSC, UMTS NodeB, RNC, MSC, HLR, HSS, MNP, EIR, IMS-CSCF, UMA and Femtocell. I have also been a ‘standards representative’ at ETSI/SMG3 where I was ETSI “rapporteur” for the GSM A interface specifications. I have 2 granted Patents, 10 filed Patents and 25 Patent Disclosures including ‘Motorola European Cellular Patent of the Year 1998’. I was elected Motorola Science Advisory Board Associate (SABA) 1999 for “advancing Motorola product by technical leadership in GSM and UMTS” and I was the UMTS and GSM Course Presenter for the Oxford University Summer Engineering Program 1994-1999.
 
How he works:

I like the fact that at Virtua everyone is a respected as an individual rather than considered as just a resource and this makes a huge difference. It’s also great to be part of an organisation that is viewed as ‘the best’ in its field of expertise.

Who he is:

I’m married to Jenny and we have two children, Jess and Josh as well as one cat, a bearded dragon and loads of live locusts. I enjoy skiing and African safaris. I think one of my greatest achievements was completing the ‘Three Peaks’ challenge in 24 hours. My favourite car is basically anything that actually goes.

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Meet Iwan

What he does:

As a Senior RF Design Engineer, Iwan assists the Head of RF Solutions and also has responsibility for designing radio frequency schemes for fixed mobile convergence for customers ‘special format sites’. He’s been working at Virtua for over three years and enjoys the challenge of problem solving as part of a dynamic team.

How he works:

It’s the team spirit that Iwan enjoys most of all when it comes to working at Virtua. Everyone pulls together to achieve the goals and objectives needed by discerning clients and it is that sense of team focus that Iwan finds so motivating. Sometimes deadlines are tight and the team needs to go the extra mile and whenever that happens Iwan likes nothing better than being in the thick of it.

 

Who he is:

When he’s not working, Iwan likes nothing better than taking a visit down the gym, going for a run, or hitting the slopes for some snowboarding. And to relax, Iwan enjoys surfing the internet, or reading his eBook.

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Meet Martyn

What he does:

As a radio frequency design engineer my job is to take all the test results data and then produce designs. I also get involved in the on-site RF testing, reporting and refining our technical specifications.

How he works:

I really enjoy being part of the Virtua team and it’s great to work somewhere only half a mile from where I live too. I’ve known Brian Watt since we played football together while working at Motorola so I was delighted when the opportunity arose to join Virtua. It’s personally rewarding to produce good technical designs and I’m surrounded by the best people in the industry.

Who he is:

I’m married to Jennifer and we have three children – Owen, Olesia and Vaughan and Lumpy the dog. I love family holidays spent on a nice beach like the one we recently visited in Lanzarote. I enjoy playing and watching football and generally relaxing with the family.

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Meet Dave

What he does:

As a design engineer my job is to produce all the necessary documentation for the other engineers. They check everything, then send it back to me and I then have to make sure all the paperwork is complete before it is forwarded on to the client.

How he works:

I’m happy to either work as part of a team or working on my own. I like the buzz of the office environment at Virtua. It’s a great place to work and, unlike during my time in the army, everyone is fully informed of what’s going on! There is so much skill and expertise at Virtua that I am constantly learning - which is what I love about the job.

 

Who he is:

I’m married to Rachel and I have a son called Jordan. I am keen on sports and fitness and I coach athletes and participants in triathlons up to national level. I also enjoy travelling and I go to Annecy in France a lot. My idea of a perfect day would be mountain biking, sitting by a French lake and then a good meal with good wine. I was previously in the army in the Royal Signals.

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Meet Rob

What he does:
As a design and Installation engineer I am working on a radio design and deployment project for one of the worlds largest retailers. We do a detailed survey of the store so we know where to put the radios for best coverage. My job is to collect all the site survey information from our field engineers and  then use the data to create a design which will work and is easy to install.

How he works:
Virtua is a very family orientated company and I love the friendly atmosphere in the office. It’s great to work in such a brilliant team and the loyalty that the management team give to their staff is exceptional. I think it’s great that Virtua set themselves such high standards and work with such precision in everything they do. Seeing the tangible results of my efforts is what gives me the biggest buzz working here.

Who he is:
I’m married to Kerry and we have a baby due in March 2011. I have Maltese roots so I always enjoy going home to see the wider family. I spent seven years in the army (Royal Signals) serving in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq so I’ve seen a lot of world trouble spots in my time. Now I like nothing better than being in the outdoors spending leisure time with my wife walking in the sunshine.

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Meet Nick

What he does:

I’m a Systems Engineer and I get involved in a lot of different aspects of Telecoms projects. At the moment I work with a lot of other engineers on the survey side as well as radio frequency design work, particularly approving designs before installation commences. I’ve previously worked on the Nokia O2 2G EDGE Upgrade Program managing a team of eight base station engineers and five surveyors, responsible for quality audits, producing technical documentation, providing training and the upgrade of Nokia 2G mobile base station to provide higher data rates.

I also worked on the Nokia Jersey Airtel Project managing a team of ten riggers, two auditors, six base station engineers and the logistics for the implementation of a new 2G & 3G mobile network in Jersey, CI. This included erection & rigging of monopole antennas, microwave transmission, installation, commissioning and integration of all radio access network equipment. At Hauwei Technologies I worked as part of a team on the installation & commissioning of Hauwei DSLAM, MSAN equipment re the BT 21CN Trials. I have also worked for the O2 Radio Design Group as a Systems Engineer.

How he works:

The thing I love about my work at Virtua is the constant variety and the chance to learn new things. Some of the work is office based and some on client sites which are both enjoyable though I don’t like to be away from home for too long. I enjoy the lively and friendly work atmosphere in the office and the fact that we all know each other so well.
 
Who he is:

I have two sons, Travis and Rory. I’m an electrical engineer by trade and I’ve undertaken work for Motorola and Nokia where I got to know the Virtua team. I’ve been freelance since 1983 and worked around the world in places like Pakistan and India. I enjoy getting away on city or beach breaks with a bit of skiing and golf. I also enjoy music festivals and real ale!

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Meet Carl

What he does:
As a design engineer my job is to take all the data from the engineering surveys and I use it to create the design documentation. I also get involved in the peer reviews of documentation. I’ve been in the Telecoms sector for 11 years including time as a systems engineer in the army but nothing stands still in this industry so I’m still learning new skills.

How he works:
I really enjoy being part of the Virtua team and I like the buzz of the office. It’s a very friendly environment to work in with a great team spirit. It’s great to be able to see the full end to end process leading to final installation and I’m learning a lot just by being here.

Who he is:
I’m getting married to Laura in December 2010 and I’m spending a lot of time running, cycling and working out at the gym at the moment – so that I look good in the wedding photos! I actually managed a triathlon last year which was great. When I’m not keeping fit though I enjoy relaxing beside the swimmi