Connected & Intelligent Places SIG Champions
Dejan Bojic
Dejan is a senior consultant advising a range of clients across both public and private sectors. His particular focus is development of open and shared digital infrastructure to support product development and service transformation within complex innovation ecosystems. Until recently Dejan worked at the UK government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) where he led the technology advisory team within the Future Networks Programme. A firm believer in creating value through collaboration between public and private sectors and across technology layers, Dejan’s aspiration as a SIG Champion is to shine a spotlight on market innovation opportunities through CW’s uniquely rich network of experts and influencers.
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/deyanb/
Andre Burgess
NPL’s nominated SIG Champion, Andre Burgess runs Strategic partnerships for the Digital Sector at NPL where he is also leading on its activities in CAV R&D as well as the development of new testing infrastructure for future integrated communications networks. Andre has a long experience in product and service innovation in the TMT sector, including NTL (now Virgin Media) and Three. He subsequently established a successful business designing and deploying disruptive digital end user products and services. More recently he turned his focus on the energy and environment sector, working with distributed generators, housing providers and local authorities, to develop innovative data centric services to optimise localised energy generation and affordable smart home services. With a mission to ensure data can be trusted and shared openly in the future, he joined NPL in 2017.
- Twitter:
- @AndreBurgess
David Brown
David has spent the past 15 years helping start-up/scale-up companies in the UK build successful Customer Service, Customer Success, and Professional Services teams. He has done this mainly as a player/coach; initially working with customers himself and only building teams once he’s gained a clear understanding of what's needed to support the company's unique customer base. In 2015, he used the knowledge gained from years of working in web analytics to found Adavow, an ad suppression platform that enables advertisers and ad networks to stop serving digital ads to consumers who have recently purchased a similar item, which increases digital budget efficiency by 10% or more. David is a keen believer that the best way to become successful is to help others become successful and "What comes around, goes around."
- Twitter:
- @4dmbrown
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/4dbrown/
Dan Clarke
Dan is Head of Innovation and Technology for the Greater Cambridge Partnership and works with new and emerging tech to help address the challenges facing Cambridge such as traffic flow, the public transport system, and air quality. Dan’s work has included the deployment of sensor networks, data platforms and travel planning apps and trialling the UK’s first purpose-built automated bus as part of the public transport system. He has also worked with the University of Cambridge on a digital twin of the city.
Dan has supported Cambridge being used as testbed for new technologies. He works across local and central government, business and academia to ensure that the city is using new technologies to support its ambitions. Dan is currently on the UKTIN Transport working group, on the advisory board for DaRe (a university led project to support net zero transport) and he is a SIG champion for the Smart and Intelligent cities SIG.
Previously Dan worked for Connecting Cambridgeshire on the deployment of connectivity across the county. He led projects including the adoption of a LoRa network, assisted MNO’s in establishing mobile connectivity (including deploying 5G small cells) and explored the use of neutral host and private networks across the county.
John Davies
John has carried out a unique mix of strategic and operational roles with placements in the USA and Europe and partnerships in Asia. Over recent years much of his private sector and Government activities has been in the area of mobile and wireless communications, digital media, Smart Cities, Cloud and Big Data and M2M/IoT as well as emerging and disruptive technologies. Helping technology start ups in the UK and internationally sourcing technology and partners as well as provide due diligence in areas of M&A and stock listings. Operating as a UK Government Advisor John has briefed both UK and International Government Ministers and Departments on Smart Cities and respective technologies and applications. This has included providing international workshops, mentoring and consulting at senior levels. John has designed and ran awareness and implementation workshops for international companies and led international delegations to overseas markets, the most recent to Singapore and Malaysia in partnership with InnovateUK. John is an active member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Smart Cities. John will be engaging with potential new international companies and organisations, and supporting CW member companies.
John Okas
John has worked in wireless and telecommunications throughout his career. Initially with Motorola and Racal in engineering and product marketing roles. He was a founding director of NTL (now Arqiva), initially as Business Development Director building and managing the complete commercial organisation. He also managed the R&D Group which developed one of the first commercially available MPEG video compression systems. Then as Managing Director - Telecommunications he was responsible for growing NTL's wireless business using NTL’s extensive tower portfolio and nationwide field operations capability and entering the fixed telecommunications and satellite services markets. Moving to Pell Frischmann, the consulting engineers, he started a telecommunications business and was involved in several large transportation projects including the Highways Agency's NRTS Project which updated the communication systems on the strategic Road Network and he first got involved in smart metering. Currently as CCO for Real Wireless he undertakes business strategy and development activities, as well as delivering various projects. Recent projects include assessing the implications of the sunset of 2G and 3G networks in the UK and analysing various aspects of smart metering in the UK. He takes a strong interest in the evolving NTN and M2M markets and the evolution of energy communication networks.
Tom Robinson
Tom has worked in the software and advanced technology industry for over 35 years with 25+ years in automotive. During this time Tom has provided leadership in several world class automotive consultancies including Pi Technology, Ricardo, Applus IDIADA and Conigital. For 6 years Tom supported InnovITS (UK Centre of Excellence for Tranport Telematics and Sustainable Mobility) as a non-executive director, helping promote the establishment of UK ITS capability. He has championed and directed several world class innovation programmes in the ITS field including TfNSW’s Ute, EU’s SARTRE, InnovITS FaCITS, TSB’s ERTOC and Innovate UK’s MuCCA, CONNECTOR and MACAM projects. Tom is currently working at EVIE Autonomous, a technology company developing and offering level four off-highway self-driving technology systems that can be installed into any vehicle. In 2022 EVIE acquired the assets and IP of Westfield Autonomous Vehicles, adding the world’s most successful autonomous PRT platform (as run at Heathrow airport) to EVIES matchless CAVONIX autonomous vehicle stack. As CPO at EVIE, Tom is helping drive the future towards CAV.