UK Biocentre was commissioned to establish a new facility on behalf of the Department of Health and the National Institute of Health Research. The facility provides a central resource to the academic biological research centres throughout the UK to address their sample collection, processing and storage requirements for on-going research into rare diseases. With a budget of £24M I was directly responsible for:• The acquisition of a 60,000 square foot building.• The definition of the building design requirements and management of the design process..• The selection and management of the construction prime contractor for the building refit.• The production of the engineering design specifications for the acquisition of major capital equipment including complex robotic automation systems for biological sample processing and storage at temperatures ranging from ambient to -196 degrees Centigrade.• The management the installation, test and commissioning of all capital equipment.• The launch of the facility for live operations in Q4 of 2014.Since the commencement of live operations I have been responsible for the management of:• The implementation of a site Health and Safety policy.• The introduction of a Quality Management System with the target to achieve certification by September 2015.• The operational performance of the facility to ensure project delivery against Quality, Time and Cost.

I am proud to have led the Covid-19 operations at the Milton Keynes Lighthouse Lab throughout the pandemic. The lab supported the national testing effort and contributed by delivering nearly 32 million PCR test results in the 2 years it was operational. The operational capability for PCR testing at UK Biocentre was built from scratch. I have been continually inspired by the genuine commitment and sense of purpose of nearly 2,000 people who have at some point been with us on this journey and I thank every one of them for their contribution.

Following the acquisition of RTS by Brooks Automation, the management roles were redefined and I assumed the role of Head of European Manufacturing. As a member of the Divisional Senior Management Team, I was responsible to the Senior VP for the European operational efficiency to ensure delivery of quality systems that achieve commercial targets and client satisfaction. The initial remit was to establish common best practice across the sites to promote efficiency and costs savings in the build, test, delivery and installation of all systems manufactured in Europe. I also managed the roll out of an Oracle ERP System into the European operation.

As a member of the Board of Directors I was responsible to the Managing Director for the operating business including full P&L responsibility. This included, through a team of department managers, the management of all engineering staff covering project management, sales support, hardware and software design, procurement, manufacture, test, delivery, installation and in service customer support to ensure client satisfaction and the achievement of set commercial goals. Locations for installations and post-delivery customer support were spread across Europe and North America. Field service engineers were located in UK, mainland Europe and across the USA. Direct input into the business planning activities to define the operational strategy to enable profit and growth.

Reporting to the Managing Director I held General Management responsibility for the Platforms Business Unit which covered process automation solutions for research and development in the pharmaceutical industry.

Reporting to the Operations Director I was responsible for the day to day project management of the Platforms Business Unit operations to deliver process automation solutions for pharmaceutical industry clients.

Responsible to the Business Unit Director for the day to day commercial, technical and personnel issues associated with several multi-million pound projects to develop and maintain programs for military applications. There was also a requirement to provide engineering support services for systems integration to BAE SYSTEMS. Pro-active management of the project teams totalling over 100 personnel was necessary to ensure correct deployment of resources, meet target deadlines and produce quality products within specified budget levels. Close liaison with the customer and a flexible approach to changing requirements were essential.

Aircraft Squadron Shift Flight SergeantPro-active management and control of a large shift of multi-skilled aircraft engineering technicians to maintain up to 12 Tornado GR1 and GR4 aircraft operating from dispersed locations. Discipline, welfare and administration of all shift personnel; Monitoring and seeking improvements to airworthiness; Safety; Equipment performance and reliability; Liaison with aircraft operators to plan daily flying programmes; Briefing and de-briefing aircrews for carrying out flight tests; Deployment of aircraft resources and equipment to dispersed locations anywhere in the world to support aircraft operationsEngineering Operations ControllerMaintaining close liaison with the engineering sections of 4 aircraft Squadrons and all engineering support sections to co-ordinate the engineering activities involving up to 60 Tornado aircraft. This involved control of critical spares and engineering assets and ensuring satisfactory completion of tasks by balancing resources to tasking. Initiation and control of engineering reaction and support in the event of an aircraft emergency. Daily compilation of aircraft engineering statistical data.Aircraft Engineering Electrical Trade ManagerManagement and control of up to 25 electrical engineers undertaking maintenance, modification and repair of aircraft electrical and armament systems and equipment; Close liaison with external engineering agencies; Working in a multi-national environment (British/German/Italian); Project development in aircraft electrical, armament and avionics systems.