MARSHALL - Key Persons
Alex has always been interested in how maths and science can be applied to solve real-world problems, this has naturally led to a career in engineering. What really excites him about Futureworx is working in a team with huge "problem solving" capabilities and thinking in an unconstrained way how this can be applied to some of the world's biggest challenges.
Alex initially joined Marshall Aerospace from University and has worked on several design projects across military and civil aerospace. His technical experience is primarily in thermofluid system design, covering activities such as system simulation, component qualification and test data analysis. He studied Mechanical Engineering (BEng) at Southampton University and Aeronautical Engineering (MSc) at Imperial College London.
Outside of work Alex is a keen guitarist and football fan.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
- Business Development Manager at Futureworx
Alison started her career as an information technology software solutions sales professional at Lotus Development Ltd, before progressing her career through account management and business development roles. She then began to work with companies such as Redgate, Speechmatics and Volaris Group, where her client base grew across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
In her role as Business Development Manager at Futureworx, Alison can leverage her growth mindset and experience to develop strategic partnerships and drive a meaningful change in the industries that Marshall works.
Coming from a family of tailors, Alison followed in the footsteps of her father, uncle and grandfather and decided to fill the gaps in her tailoring knowledge after her father's passing. As a mature student, she became a qualified bespoke tailor after achieving a BA (Hons) Degree in Tailoring.
Alison has a passion for travelling the world and experiencing different cultures. Having visited the US, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Northern Africa, and travelling around the UK, there are still more to go! Alongside this Alison enjoys ‘The Arts', especially theatre, museums and galleries, in addition to cooking, reading, gardening, drawing and indoor fitness.
Chris is an all-round mechanical design engineer with 20+ years of experience at a concept and detail design level, covering major (and minor) structural parts, assemblies and installations. This has spanned a wide spectrum of applications, from broadly standalone new structures to modifications interfacing with ageing platforms.
The unique and varied exposure Marshall provides to its engineers means that beyond the realm of structures, Chris has been involved in mechanical and fluid systems integrations, testing and test rigs, requirements management, certification and compliance, stress analysis, commercial activities, technical proposals, consultation type studies and probably more that he's temporarily forgotten about.
Tangible progress - having something to show at the end of the day, that you can say ‘We did that' is what makes Chris content. Speaking about himself in the Third Person; not so much.
If its got two wheels, engine or no engine, Chris probably likes it, rides it, or wishes he had one. A life-long fan of a second tier football team, Chris can provide a myriad of armchair-expert sporting services at no additional cost.
Chris McKenzie is passionate about understanding the world around him, from the technical to the social/political; in whatever field, he is keen to use his skills and energy to help solve people's problems.
In a 15-year career, Chris has been part of a wide range of aerospace projects, providing technical expertise on aircraft performance and handling. This work has covered the full breath of design, analysis/modelling, ground/flight test and certification. Some examples include: the conversion of a Lockheed C130 into a flight test bed for the Airbus A400M engine and the conversion of a Bombardier Global 6000 into an ISR platform. This has involved working with large OEMS, military customers and certification authorities, as well as smaller customers and test/research facilities. Chris is a serious and conscientious engineer, who always takes pride in his work; he is also an approachable and open character who loves to be part of a thriving and positive team.
Outside of work, Chris is a photography enthusiast and guitar player, with a big appetite for documentaries and current affairs. He also enjoys days out with the family and evenings socialising with friends, especially if there is good beer and a dartboard on offer!
Chris Walton is passionate about building ventures that matter.
Chris started his career in aerospace engineering as a consequence of being passionate about flying and occasionally good at maths at school. Following an undergraduate degree in engineering, he worked as a Flight Test Engineer, being responsible for integration engineering, testing and being part of the flight crew on novel and modified aircraft. He was later seconded to Cambridge University's Engineering Department and worked on a geoengineering research programme, and was further seconded to Canada and the US to continue working on large-scale technology integration and manufacturing projects. After being deeply involved in engineering R&D and delivery, Chris has moved through a succession of Program Management, Business Development and Strategy, and General Management roles; all related to building and growing ventures in the technology, aerospace and defence sectors across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.
Chris holds an Executive MBA from Cambridge University, and outside of work variously enjoys spending time with his wife, their two cats (Churchill and Attlee), competing in clay pigeon shooting, and flying light aircraft.
Daniel obtained a first class BEng in Mechanical Engineering and Production Technology with a double Bachelor's degree from Saimaa University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Vitus Bering University College in Denmark. He then gained an MSc with distinction in Mechanical Engineering and Design from the University of Manchester in 2014. Afterwards he joined the Centre for Doctoral Training in Ultra Precision Engineering at the University of Cambridge where he graduated obtaining an MRes degree in 2015 and a PhD in Industrial Photonics in 2020.
Daniel's professional interests are in the space sector, energy beam manufacturing, vacuum technology and additive manufacturing.
In his spare time, Daniel enjoys learning foreign languages, practicing karate and playing the guitar.
Job Titles:
- Senior Commercial Manager
Darren enjoys working with customers to find commercial solutions that generate value, even more so on projects that bring people together to solve complex problems.
Darren has more than 15 years' experience as a commercial professional, most of it working with the major aerospace OEMs. He has negotiated and led contracts that have successfully delivered safety and mission critical systems to platforms including the B787 Dreamliner, Gulfstream G650, Typhoon and Joint Strike Fighter.
Graduating from Queen Mary University of London with a master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Darren's move into commercial was opportunistic but he has never looked back. He loves to understand technical challenges and his engineering background helps him to do so in order to see the commercial benefits of overcoming them.
Darren is excited to be supporting Futureworx and part of a talented team that is solving the problems of tomorrow. In his spare time, Darren enjoys spending time with his family and down at his local football club where he has played for the last 25 years. He is also the club's treasurer, a role he took on so he can covertly create a fund to pay for the statue of himself that he thinks he deserves.
Job Titles:
- Futureworx Architect
- Technical Leader
Darryl Cotton is an innovative technical leader with a wide range of experience in technology development, Intellectual Property protection and project planning and management. He is a Chartered Engineer and has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Newcastle University, as well as a PhD in Electronics and Computer Science from Southampton University.
Before joining Futureworx, Darryl worked in a number of different industries developing products and the technologies for future products. Some career highlights include: creating a prosthetic hand and sensors; developing stretchable electronics to enable the Nokia morph stretchable phone concept; developing the electromechanics of foldable mobile phones; and researching new haptic feedback technologies and their integration into mobile devices.
Darryl has also worked in the medical device industry at Vectura, and more recently Bespak. At Vectura he developed generic inhalers, one of which was successfully partnered with Hikma for commercialisation, realising circa $90M for development to market and future royalties on each device manufactured. He also won a company innovation award in 2019 for a novel connected inhaler. At Bespak, Darryl created and lead the design team for Bespak's proprietary products (100+ products) with production of circa 500million devices per annum.
In his spare time, Darryl enjoys canoeing, wild camping, wakeboarding and squash. He always has a DIY project on the go, most recently converting a van to a campervan.
Job Titles:
- Head of Business Development & Sales
Ed is a client-centric, experienced and collaborative sales leader with a strong background in technical sales, having enjoyed 13+ years with MathWorks, the world-renowned mathematical computing software company behind MATLAB and Simulink.
Emily was inspired to pursue a career in aerospace engineering after learning from family members about the industry and the range of career opportunities. She attended several women in engineering talks, which sparked an enduring passion and motivated her to gain relevant experience.
Having started with Marshall as an apprentice, Emily's passion, creativity and natural leadership skills have established her as one of the business' rising stars. Over the course of her apprenticeship rotations she played a key role in challenging projects across the Marshall business, including driving an MRO continuous improvement suggestion scheme in Aerospace, proposing solutions to systems engineering design issues, and preparing flight test campaigns for Lilypad Offshore-the first product brought to market by Marshall Futureworx.
Emily was invited by CEO Kathy Jenkins to co-host the Marshall Skills Summit 2023-an industry-wide event dedicated to addressing the UK's growing skills shortage. She considers this a highlight of her career so far.
Outside of work, Emily has "just a few" hobbies, which include paddle boarding, scuba diving, playing the guitar and travelling. Being the sociable type, she loves catching up over a coffee, or better yet cheese and wine!
Job Titles:
- Head of HR
- Head of HR in Marshall Aerospace
Gemma is Head of HR in Marshall Aerospace, supporting the Futureworx team with strategic level HR business partnering.
Alongside having a Masters Degree in Human Resources and being a Chartered Human Resources Practitioner, she has over 20 years' experience within different industries including infrastructure, house building, care and retail, working with and influencing senior leaders. The areas that she has covered include but are not limited to talent, succession, recruitment, strategy, reward, engagement, employee relations and analytics to help grow an organisation from within. Gemma also has proven skills in delivering cross functional and business wide HR initiatives and projects.
Gemma is excited to be part of the leadership team within Futureworx due to the innovative opportunities that it is able to reach and the future ahead and of course the entire teams capabilities and personalities. Gemma believes that people are the key to success.
Outside of work Gemma is married and has 3 fur babbies in the form of her doggies in which 2 are rescues. In her spare time she enjoys spending time in the house and garden doing anything from general planting, projects - renovation and garden to relaxing. She also enjoys spending time with family.
Graham is a solutions architect in the Futureworx team. He is driven by a passion for finding novel technological solutions to current and emerging challenges. He is particularly motivated when there are demanding technical hurdles to overcome and he has a fascination with systems that take to the skies.
With a background in mechanical engineering, Graham has worked on complex modifications for special missions aircraft from the conceptual design phase through to entry into service. He is equally comfortable with creative design tasks as he is with supporting aircraft production teams and coordinating aircraft testing in a dynamic end user environment.
In addition to a keen interest in aerospace engineering and the aviation industry, Graham has a curiosity that spans across a broad range of science and technology topics. Outside of work, Graham can often be found running or cycling around the countryside near home.
Jamie has a master's degree in Engineering from the University of Manchester and is a Chartered Engineer. He began his career as an aerospace design engineer at Westland Helicopters, before moving on to flight testing at QinetiQ Boscombe Down.
Prior to joining Futureworx, Jamie worked in a medical/aerospace technology start-up in central London. Before that, he was Head of Technical Services at Marshall Aerospace, where he was responsible for a team of engineers providing technical support to military aircraft operators around the world to ensure their fleets' airworthiness, availability and capability.
Jamie has a passion for endurance events. He completed an Ironman years ago, but his favourite event is the Helvellyn Triathlon. These days, however, triathlon training has been replaced with trying to keep up with his three children, which he finds far more challenging.
Josie is an experienced Programme Manager in R&D and new product introduction.
Having trained as a physicist at the University of Cambridge with an undergraduate degree and PhD in Experimental Physics, Josie has progressed her career from Engineering roles through to Project/Programme Management at FlexEnable and Pragmatic Semiconductor, world leaders in flexible electronics, and now holds 8 years' experience in programme management. Her technical background and intrinsic curiosity to learn give her the ability to engage stakeholders and make informed decisions.
Competing nationally in Cyprus and England are real proud moments for Josie as a former international volleyball player.
These days she spends most of her time trying to navigate career and motherhood and enjoys taking her chocolate Labrador Retriever for a walk.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
Kat has been working within sales, new business and bid management functions for over eight years with considerable experience in bid writing and management, solution and strategy planning, customer relationship management and account coordination. Working mainly within sales and strategy functions, Kat has had success with securing multi-million pound bids and campaigns across the Facilities Management and Aerospace sectors working with a mix of private companies and Government bodies.
In December 2018 Kat joined Marshall Aerospace as the principal Bid Manager, working closely with the Military Aerospace Team on all business winning activities. Fast forward almost four-years and Kat joins Futureworx in a new role as Business Development Manager. This exciting opportunity leverages Kat's previous experience to create and develop key business relationships across the Cambridge Ecosystem and beyond.
Kat graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a first-class honours degree in English Language, a course she absolutely loved. In her spare time Kat is the Captain of her local netball team, a sport she has competitively played for over 15 years. Alongside this Kat enjoys all aspects of socialising and hosting dinner parties as well as all things Peloton!
Kieren Paterson has held a lifelong passion for creating things that solve really challenging problems. From building awesome lego creations (something he still loves doing with his kids) to being Chief Engineer for a state of the art strategic ISR platform, that feeling of satisfaction and immense pride in creating something special has never really left him.
In a career spanning nearly 23 years, Kieren has developed aerospace products and modified aircraft from and for almost every major aerospace OEM. He has enjoying travelling and working around the world on a variety of international civil and military programmes. From truly unique programmes like the conversion of a Lockheed C-130 into a flight test bed for the Airbus A400M engine, to hugely successful long term production programmes such as the auxiliary fuel tanks for the Boeing P-8 Poseidon and even the creation of bespoke luxury interiors on VVIP business jets, Kieren has a breadth of experience achieved by very few in the industry.
Equally at home leading small agile or large multi-national teams, Kieren's core philosophy remains one of looking after your people really well, adding passionate and empathetic leadership and energy, and being both amazed and proud of what can be achieved in almost any situation.
Outside of work Kieren loves sport and whilst his rugby, hockey and football playing days are sadly behind him, he remains a keen snowboarder and occasional skier which he enjoys with family and friends. More often than not you'll find him at the heart of social events and team nights out.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Futureworx Architect
For over 6 years, Manoj Patel has been a noteworthy leader at Marshall's in the design, modelling & test verification/validation of complex airborne avionic and electrical/electronic systems. The majority of his work has up to now taken place within the complex airborne military Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) integration and certification domain; but he is also credited with contributing towards the design, build and demonstration of low-cost autonomous unmanned aerial systems for use in humanitarian aid relief scenarios - the designs and business case for which have earned him multiple awards from a professional engineering body in the UK.
He holds a Master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Loughborough University and is a Senior Systems Engineer who resides in Ottawa, Canada; where he is attempting to pursue a wider range of pastimes than entering Red Bull Soap Box Races (e.g. falling over while skiing, flipping upside down while tobogganing and coasting along frozen canals to the nearest hot toddy in the winters; and riding over berms while mountain biking and tipping over while kayaking in the summers).
Manoj has an enthusiasm and passion for problem solving, which has served him extremely well in resolving urgent and complex issues with military customers; something he intends to draw upon moving forwards into Marshall Futureworx to help the business identify emerging global trends and accelerate demonstrable use-cases and products/services from these new technologies.
Job Titles:
- Programme Manager
- Head of Innovation
For four years before joining Marshall Futureworx, Marta worked in the fusion energy research field, bringing the power of the sun to Earth to address energy de-carbonisation by the second half of this century.
Marta also holds an Executive Diploma in Strategy and Innovation from Oxford Saïd Business School, and in 2020 was seconded to the UK COVID-19 SAGE group to support the government with scientific communication.
Trained as an engineer, Marta is an experienced programme manager with a proven track record in delivering complex cross-functional projects requiring good understanding and management between research, technology, governmental, commercial and corporate dependencies.
Marta believes that teamwork, collaboration, purpose and good leadership are key pillars to confronting the big challenges facing humanity.
In her free time, Marta enjoys photography and painting as way of expression, travelling to keep her mind open, and releasing stress with HIIT and yoga.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Manager
- Aerospace Programme Manager
Melanie is an experienced aerospace programme manager who holds a plethora of expertise within engineering, project management and team leadership roles.
As a London City University graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering, Melanie continued her education with an MSc in Engineering Design at Loughborough University. Following this, she began her career as a design engineer where she worked on building design solutions, defining specifications, negotiating approvals and managing stakeholders.
More recently, Melanie progressed her career through to project management roles where she has been responsible for overseeing complex projects within the aerospace industry. Dealing with the challenges of budgeting, deadlines and deliverables along with her engineering background, Melanie's passion for problem solving, driving innovation and advancing technology will be instrumental in her success at Futureworx.
Melanie is a former special police constable from Central London, having served on the first response team playing a vital role in keeping London safer. She loves to travel, immersing herself in new destinations and diverse cultures and keeps herself active by going to the gym regularly.
Mike Trueman - Chief Procurement Officer
Job Titles:
- Head of Procurement
- Purchasing Manager
Mike is an experienced purchasing manager with an extensive background in the automotive and electronics sectors prior to joining Marshall Futureworx.
Beginning his career in 1986 as a buyer for BLP Components Ltd in Newmarket, Mike progressed through a series of roles with increasing managerial responsibility and planning oversight within the automotive industry, including with high-profile names such as Lotus, McLaren, Tesla, and Williams Advanced Engineering.
Directly before his current role, Mike was Global Commodity Manager for Chassis and Interior at electric van start-up Arrival.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given his industry experience, Mike is a big motorsport fan, and is especially interested in the decarbonisation of motorsport through alternative powertrains.
Music is his other big passion: he has played guitar since his teens.
Mike has a campervan, and spends the holidays travelling the UK walking with his wife and Eddie, their spaniel.
Job Titles:
- Futureworx Business Support Manager
Natalie has always had a passion and some might say an obsession with organisation and lists. This led Natalie to the Executive Assistant roles that have dominated most of her work career. She has always enjoyed organising people and events and has become quite the expert (so she says!). Now, Natalie has taken on the role of Business Support Manager at Futureworx, and she is looking forward to the challenge.
From an early age, Natalie has always been intrigued by art and design which she mostly does in her personal time - especially making drawings of superheroes for her five-year old son. Her favourite artist is William Morrison after a visit to his exhibition at the V&A museum during her school years, as she believes his works are timeless.
Outside of work, Natalie is often found dancing around her living room or trying to find the next adrenaline-pumping activity. So far, she has already completed a sky dive, a Bungee jump for charity, and abseiled down a London skyscraper. What next!
Paul Afolabi has over 10 years of research experience and practical application of engineering, commercial delivery and innovation in the Mechanical, Energy and Food Sectors. He also holds a 1st class MEng in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Food Science and Marketing Economics from the University of Greenwich.
Before joining us as a Futureworx Architect, Paul worked as a Chief innovation Engineer at well-known Dartford. While in this role, he was involved in a variety of work within procurement, contracting, planning, market analysis system modelling, and more. This kept him busy and allowed him to expand his skillset, making him the ideal candidate for his current role at Marshall.
In his role at Futureworx, Paul helps to build networks and business ventures, as well as leading in continuous improvement, learning and development for Futureworx. He will also develop complex digital simulations, work with subcontractors and suppliers, and conducts trade studies based on research, experiments and analysis.
When he's not in the office, Paul likes to spend his time with family and friends, as well as de-stress at the gym. He has a passion for reading, and even does a fair amount of baking and cooking! Spontaneity and trying new things are important to Paul, as he wants to look back knowing he lived life to the absolute fullest.
Job Titles:
- Futureworx Architect
- Solutions Architect
Piotr is a Solutions Architect in the Futureworx team. Having graduated with a degree in Astrophysics, he subsequently pivoted to Engineering and strongly believes that constant exposure to new avenues of science, business and technology and staying outside one's comfort zone is simultaneously the most enjoyable and the most productive way to work.
In keeping with this, early years of his career have seen him traverse a wide range of different specialisms and business functions. With a background in digital technologies, he worked as a software engineer, developing codebases ranging from aerothermal evaluation solvers to automated optimisation pipelines. Successfully deploying digital tools and leveraging them to win business across a range of industries, including motorsport and zero-emissions aerospace, saw him move into business development and product lead roles, with responsibilities including product ideation, prototyping and test as well as managing customer interfaces. He went on to manage and consolidate a portfolio of aerospace-related projects, ranging from hydrogen gas turbine feasibility studies, through developing thermal management systems for electric aerospace propulsion, to delivery of novel hardware.
Outside work Piotr is a keen cyclist, with 10-mile time trials as his discipline of choice. More often than not, you will find him either on his bike or around it, attempting to eek out a little more speed from the setup (with varying degrees of success). His other hobbies include running, science-fiction literature, cooking and trying to stay in touch with recent scientific developments. He is also committed to ensuring that his various sporting endeavours don't stand in the way of a Friday pint and enjoys socialising and spending time with friends.
Rimi has a truly impressive amount of experience, from placement work in a law firm to working for a speciality chemicals company. Previous roles include Customer Technical Service, Product Owner and Market Research Analyst - all of which required needing to network across the globe with people from all backgrounds to deliver on projects. She enjoyed being part of an I&D champion team and helping to organise fundraising events for local charities. As a highly motivated and resilient individual, Rimi is hoping her chemistry background and interests in medical applications and healthcare will bring a different perspective to Marshall Futureworx.
Industry experience is critical when it comes to working as a Futureworx Architect, and Rimi shines when it comes to her background. With plenty of knowledge when it comes to agility, project planning, commitment and problem solving, it is clear to see Rimi as being a great new addition to the team.
In her free time, Rimi enjoys cycling in the countryside and is an avid F1 fan. Rimi is also a foodie and enjoys baking and trying out new recipes!
Job Titles:
- Chartered Engineer
- Futureworx Architect
Robert is a polymath with a passion for engineering and problem solving.
His career of 45 years started before leaving school, repairing microprocessor equipment in the late 70's. Returning to college he became a licenced avionics engineer. While working in aspects of avionics maintenance from line to workshop, he soon found a place in design. His experience ranges from vintage fighters to new aircraft designs and encompasses rotary wing and LRUs. While specialising in avionics, he has also covered systems including fuel and instrumentation with employers including operators, MROs and OEMs.
In the mid-nineties he became part of the Thrust SSC landspeed record team designing, building and running the supersonic car which still holds the world record at 763 mph. As a consequence of this, he had a change of field and spent 9 years with a biotech automation and instrument OEM. This included patents for inventions ranging from sterilisation to fluorescence imaging. Robert returned to aerospace with Marshall in 2008.
Robert is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Particular specialties are EMC and lightning protection. He is a member of RTCA special committee 135 which produces DO-160.
Outside of work Robert enjoys reading and walking the dog. He also has a well-equipped electronics workshop and repairs and builds test equipment. Additionally he collects and restores small gas turbine engines.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Aerospace Engineer
- Head of Systems Engineering
Steven Tweddell is an experienced aerospace engineer who is motivated by a simple curiosity and an abundant optimism for all aspects of life. Throughout his career a modest but powerful outlook of "no matter the task, make sure you understand the problem" has helped him achieve a successful career path which now takes him to the role of Head of System Engineering at Marshall Futureworx.
Some of his career highs include the development of a high fidelity flight simulator, enabling pilot training for the complex A400M Flying Test Bed. Systems architect for several auxiliary fuel systems, Chief Engineer on air to air refuelling systems and Engineering Manager for a state of the art strategic ISR platform. Through programmes like these Steven has added a breadth of experience to his natural curiosity enabling an effective approach to problem solving no matter the challenge.
Steven is also a passionate leader who thinks above all empowerment of staff within a safe environment is really the key factor to problem solving.
Outside of work Steven is a family man who enjoys competitive sports and social activities. He is the Chairmen of his village tennis club where he also captains the men's and mixed first teams.
Job Titles:
- Senior Finance Manager in Marshall Aerospace
Toby is a Senior Finance Manager in Marshall Aerospace, supporting the Futureworx team with strategic level financial business partnering.
Alongside being a Chartered Management Accountant, holding a number of finance related roles including Financial Controller across automotive & transport organisations, his multi-disciplined 10 year career spans the private and public sector with stints in HM Treasury and Department for Transport Policy units where he developed and delivered a number of strategic policy initiatives across a variety of transport modes.