Ian Roberts: Our Hardware Development Manager... and the man with countless talents!

We at Pico are very privileged to have such an inspiring, talented and knowledgeable mentor in our very own Hardware Development Manager, Ian Roberts. Ian is also a Chartered Engineer.?

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His interest in electronics started when he was just nine years old; he saw a teacher using an amateur radio and wanted to build one of his own. Luckily, he was soon given a radio kit to build for Christmas! This perfectly lined up both electronics and amateur radio as his passions and, through these interests, he has managed to make friends all over the world.

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Ian started his career as a Student Apprentice at Hawker Siddeley (later renamed to British Aerospace), while also studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Hertfordshire University. Right from the start, his leadership skills were noticed; during his final apprenticeship year, Ian led a small team to design an antenna demonstration test rig to prove an application principle. The results of this project subsequently led to a productionised system by the company. This was a great achievement and dream come true for every student. For this, he received a commendation from the Chief Engineer!

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While attending a Military Microwaves Conference, Ian was inspired by one of the presenters, who in turn offered him a job as a Design Engineer with Microwave Associates designing frequency synthesizers and radar subsystems.

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Throughout his career, Ian has worked in a number of industries, including Aerospace, Security, Telecom and Test & Measurement; he especially enjoyed performing analogue and RF designs. He quickly progressed into managerial roles, where he was able to use his potential of mentoring and supporting people.?

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Ian describes his biggest achievement at Pico as “winning the hearts and minds of the hardware team, and balancing the team according to their skills and personalities”, especially during such an exciting period of growth. When asked how he copes with managing such a big team full of different personalities, he simply says that he treats others the way he would like to be treated; he knows that everyone is different so he needs to deal with people individually. He does not micromanage anyone, rather points people into the right direction in order to get the best out of them. He is also doing brilliantly with prioritizing of his daily tasks. The continuous change is challenging, but also exciting, as it inevitably leads to improvement and progress.?

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Autonomy and flexibility are what Ian enjoys the most about being a part of the Pico Family.?

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In addition to mentoring people, Ian has a number of other talents and hobbies.?Whilst at school he learnt how to play the violin and was a member of the orchestra. He also joined the Wood Green Operatic Society as a teenager, and performed in the chorus line of multiple amateur musical productions of West End shows, such as Fiddler on the Roof and the Wizard of Oz. He then learnt to play the guitar, with aspirations of becoming a Rock Star! He has performed in many gigs with several bands over the years and is currently in two bands: Stolen Mojo and Riff Raff. The latter of these performed at Latitude Festival during the Summer of 2021.

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Ian is also a dedicated animal lover. He enjoys walking his beloved 2 dogs and looking after a fish pond in his garden.?

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Ian is a great example of a motivating leader, and we are very fortunate that he has been with us for the last six years.?

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P.S Ian is now looking to expand his talented team. If you want to join us, please click on the link below to view our available vacancies.

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https://jobs.picotech.com/