MSc MBA CEng MIET

Project / Programme / Engineering Manager and Business Leader

[Market Sectors: Mobile Telecommunications, Satellite Communications, Earth Observation and Large IT Systems]

Profile

After many years of successful contributions to multinational programmes in Europe, the United States and south-east Asia, Roger is able to effectively apply his technical, commercial and senior management capabilities in a range of advanced technology programme areas including large-scale communication, satellite and IT systems.   His results-oriented and pro-active style of management can radically improve project performance and delivery. 

Having supplemented his professional experience with an MBA programme, Roger is able to offer business management and business development experience alongside his technical expertise.  Much of Roger's experience has been gained in dynamic and fast-moving multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural project environments.  Drawing out the best in a team, he specialises in effective communications, co-ordination and project control.  For most of his working life, he has had customer-facing roles and is able to act in a number of business and technical capacities whether on behalf of the customer, prime contractor or a supplier organisation.

Responsibilities and Achievements

2011 –              Managing Director, High Q Systems Ltd., Harwell, Oxfordshire

Roger formed High Q Systems to undertake technology development and commercialisation, together with independent consultancy and business management support services.  Combining a technology and product specialisation focus with space systems engineering, project management, payload engineering management and business management capabilities, the company is well placed to support a wide range of advanced technology development programmes.

2007 – 2011     Business Development/Sales & Marketing Manager, ABSL Space Products, Culham, Oxfordshire

Roger was responsible for growing ABSL's earth observation satellite instrumentation business, and multiplied turn-over by a factor of three during this period, enabling the establishment of a 10-member dedicated product team.  While at ABSL, Roger led sales and business development activities across the space instrumentation side of the business in calibration sources, LIDAR and communications antennas.  He had responsibility for agreeing and meeting sales targets, establishing both in-house and external bid teams, coordinating bid and project resources and recommending product development strategy for various areas of the business.

2002 – 2007    Payload Engineering Manager, Astrium Ltd. (Contract Assignment)

Roger was retained on contract by Astrium Ltd initially as technical design authority and team leader for the SHF payload of Skynet 5, a military communications satellite system.  Roger drove forward the technical solution for the SHF payload over a five year period and established and maintained supplier and customer relations.  He also provided a single-point-of-contact for the engineering aspects of the SHF payload, including presentations to all contractual levels from the internal Astrium customer organisation up to and including the MoD.  He was then promoted to Payload Engineering Manager, responsible for all engineering aspects of the satellite’s payload systems.

1998 - 2002      Logica UK Ltd (Now Logica CMG)

Roger was responsible for a number of high profile assignments within Logica’s Telecoms Solutions and Space Divisions.  He acted as Programme Manager for a web-based start-up company, coordinating Logica’s technical delivery teams in the area of network management systems.  Working with sales and bid management teams, he also supported the deployment of Logica's delivery teams across several industry sectors.  Roger was also line manager for 10 staff members.

1987 - 1998      Founder, Managing Consultant and Director, Communications & Technology Consultants, Oxford, UK

Roger formed CTC to provide consultancy expertise to a range of satellite systems operators, prime contractors and agencies.  He was retained as technical consultant for three international satellite competitive tender evaluations, advising clients on bid strengths and weaknesses.  He also led various customer teams in a range of satellite development projects and investigations, including international satellite frequency coordination negotiations with the UK and Russia.

1981 - 1987     Project Manager, Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), Palo Alto, CA and Princeton, NJ

As Member of Technical Staff, Roger was responsible for analysing, witnessing, verification of and reporting on the communications performance of eight Intelsat V/VA satellites being manufactured in California.  Roger was then promoted to Project Manager for Comsat’s STC-DBS direct broadcast satellite payloads.  Roger had management responsibility as end-customer representative for the procurement of two multi-million dollar direct-broadcast communication satellites in Princeton, New Jersey.

1979 - 1981     Field RF Engineer, Telesat Canada, Ottawa, Canada

Roger acted as customer representative at equipment suppliers in Germany, Canada and the United States.  He also formed part of the monitoring team in the field office at Hughes Aircraft Company for the ANIK C/D communications satellites.

1977 - 1979     RF Engineer, Space Engineering Division, MSDS, Stanmore, Middx

During this period of employment, Roger designed and tested a number of microwave circuits for satellite equipment, including MIC frequency multipliers, filters and amplifiers.

1976 - 1977     Senior Engineer, Cable and Wireless Ltd., London

Roger specified and procured equipment for satellite ground station upgrades and carried out site surveys for new satellite systems on behalf of the company. 

1973 - 1974     Satellite Electronic Subsystem Engineer, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics, Stevenage, UK

Roger designed a number of digital and analogue electronic modules for communication satellite and deep space missions.

Educational and Professional Courses

1997 - 2000     MBA, Open Business School, Open University

1974 - 1976     MSc in Microwaves and Modern Optics, University College, London                       plus Postgraduate Diploma

1970 - 1973     BSc(Hons) in Electrical Engineering Science, University of Salford

Professional Affiliations

Member Of Institution of Engineering and Technology

Past Member TPN Steering Committee, IET

Member UK Space Agency Review Panel

Member Open Business School Alumni

Member Salford University Alumni

Chartered Engineer

Competence in spoken and written languages

·         Some fluency in both written and spoken French

·         Working knowledge of German

Publications/Events

·         “Antenna Beam Pointing and Error Budget Analysis For Communication Satellites”, C. Benet and R. Dewell, Space Communications & Broadcasting (Netherlands) Vol.4 No.3, Sept 1986 pp 205-214

·         “The Calculation Of Adjacent Satellite Interference for Direct Broadcast Satellites”, R. Dewell and S. Siddiqi, Microwave Journal, October 1987 Vol.30 No.10 pp 149-161

·         “Satcom Systems”, Electronics World and Wireless World, Vol.95 No.1646 December 1989, pp 1137-1140

·         “Mobile Communications”, R. Dewell, IEE colloquium on INMARSAT-3, Institution of Electrical Engineers, 21st November 1991

·         “The Requirements For Spectrally Efficient Techniques In An Inhomogeneous Satellite System Environment”, R. Dewell, IEE colloquium on Spectrally-Efficient Techniques For Satellite Communications, IEE, 30th March 1994.  Chairman of the colloquium.

·         “The Business of Managing A Small Engineering Business”, R. Dewell, IEE Engineering Management Journal, Vol.5 No.5, October 1995, pp 215-218

·         “The Extent Of Integration Between Satellite and Terrestrial Networks In Future Mobile Communications” P.F. Hartigan and R. Dewell, 5th International Conference on Satellite Systems For Mobile Communications and Navigation, 13th-15th May, 1996

·         Radiometric Calibration Systems for Earth Observation: Infrared, mm-wave and microwave, R Cooper, R Dewell, A McNamara and D Smart, IET Seminar on Earth Observation Satellites, Nov 2009

·         Chair, Earth Observation Satellites  Symposium, IET, November 2009

·         LIDAR Filters and Systems for Earth Observation – An Evolving Commercial Product, R Dewell, M Foster, J Nawasra and D Smart, IET Seminar on Earth Observation Satellites, Nov 2010

·         Chair, Earth Observation Satellites  Symposium, IET, November 2010

·         'Development Of Microwave Calibration Targets for Upcoming ESA Missions’, Axel Murk, Richard Wylde, Graham Bell, Juan Reveles-Wilson, Irena Zivkovic, Andrew McNamara, R. Dewell and Peter de Maagt - to be presented at the International Geoscience And Remote Sensing Symposium, 21^st July 2012 and subsequently published in IEEE Xplore