Meet our industry partners

Robotics and AI: Dr Lyndon Lee

Lyndon is currently a Principal Management Consultant at PA Consulting. He has many years' experience in delivering strategic advice, business and IT strategy, and enterprise architecture to public sector and private multinationals, especially for the finance, retail and telecommunications sectors. With more than ten years' experience in R&D on artificial intelligence, security, future payment, predictive analytic, and mobile, Lyndon has been granted many US and European patents. He has previously worked at DHL, Citibank, Cathay Pacific Airways, BT, Tesco; and has a PhD in Computer Science and MSc in Telecommunications. Dr Lee is one of our Luton panellists.

Information Systems: Pete Bradbury FBCS CITP

Pete has had a 22 year career working in IT-enabled business change which has been wide and varied. He understands the needs of businesses and developing innovative and useable solutions whilst performing Business Analysis and Business Architecture lead and managerial roles in a multitude of industries. Industries Pete has solved business problems with information system and business change solutions include, but are not limited to, Automotive, Logistics, Transport, Utilities, Education, Law Enforcement, Central Government, Shipping and others. Mr Pete Bradbury is one of our Luton panellists.

Computer Science: Dr Chris Ireland

Dr Ireland is an independent consultant who wrote his first computer program in his early teens and was hooked. Some four decades later he still relishes the challenge of a good programming exercise and today he works on high touch trading systems for a variety of investment banks. He believes that knowledge of business and computing go hand-in-hand and throughout his career he has maintained a balance between understanding algorithms and accounts. A strong advocate of life-long learning, Dr Ireland holds an MBA, is a visiting researcher with the Open University Department of Computing, a chartered member of the Chartered Management Institute, a member of both the British Computing Society and the Association for Computing Machinery, and conference Chair for the International Conference on Fundamentals and Advances in Software Systems Integration.

Computer Networking: Mrs Nazia Shaheen

Nazia Shaheen is the IT Service Delivery Manager at Randstad UK, one of the world's largest multi-specialist recruitment consultancies. She has been a member of the IT department for over nine years supporting Randstad's employees, and is involved in many company-wide projects - being a member of Randstad's high performance panel. She is both ITIL intermediate and Prince2 Practitioner qualified, and outside her working life Nazia is also a busy mum of two children. Nazia is self-driven, always endeavours to achieve the best, and strives for perfection. She is very excited to join the University of Bedfordshire's Industry Liaison Panel.

Electronics Engineering: Mr Nathan Spence

Nathan began working for MBDA Missile Systems during a pre-university year after completing his A-Levels. MBDA then sponsored him to study for his Masters in Electronic Systems Engineering at the University of Manchester. In 2010 he joined their Engineering Graduate Programme and spent two years in the Electronics Engineering department. He now works in the Safety Systems and Telemetry Equipment Team developing high reliability safety systems for harsh environments. For the past three years he has been on the Beds and Herts IET committee, acting as webmaster, secretary and events planner. Having only graduated relatively recently he is looking forward to offering a fresh perspective on the transition from academic study to employment in industry. Mr Spence is one our Luton panellists.

Local Economy Rep: Paul Andrews IEng

Paul is the current CEO of Andrews UK Limited, one of the UK's leading digital publishers. With nearly 30 years of experience in both media creation and publishing, as well as engineering and management. Paul has been at the leading edge of technology, being one of the first companies in the world to have advertising supported mobile games, as well as the world's first eBook containing 3D film footage. As well as running various media companies himself, Paul has also worked within major blue chip companies such as Unilever, Glaxo Smithkline, Roche, and others.

Enterprise and Cyber Security: Peter Joy MBCI MBCS

Peter Joy is the Continuity Professional Services Manager within the Enterprise and Cyber Security practice of Fujitsu Services, a leading information technology solutions provider. He focuses on Business Continuity Planning and Management, Business Operational Resilience, risk management and ICT Continuity (Disaster Recovery) challenges for clients within the public, financial and retail sectors.

He has presented at a number of industry events and is the author of articles aimed at promoting the awareness and understanding of continuity management for business stakeholders. He has contributed to the development of industry compliance standards. Peter Joy is one of our Luton panellists.

Information Systems: Mr Ian Henderson MBCS CITP

Ian has over 30 years' experience in ICT including 14 years of running his own Interim CIO/CTO/IT Director & ICT consultancy company. He started off as a trainee programmer before moving to systems analysis and design, project and programme management and finally into IT systems management. He has since successfully completed assignments covering "Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)", "Start Up", "Turnaround" "Business Support" and "Business-As-Usual" situations within both the Public and Private sectors. He is known as an ICT Trouble Shooter and Transformational Leader, who is highly knowledgeable, has strong technical skills and a reputation of getting the job done.

hendersonservices.co.uk

Forensic Consultant: Andrew Sheldon MSc

Andrew's IT background spans more than 29 years including 20+ years forensic computing. He holds a Masters degree in Forensic Computing from the Royal Military College of Science at Cranfield University and is a regular speaker at both domestic and international security and forensics conferences. Andrew became one of the first independent digital forensic practitioners in the UK in 1993 and has conducted thousands of forensic examinations since. With an in depth knowledge of forensic data capture and analysis techniques Andrew holds patents for several innovative forensic technologies in various fields including Remote Forensics and Forensic Triage.

Evidence Talks is one of the UK's leading authorities on forensic computing, servicing clients and developing unique forensic technologies in the fight against digital crime in the corporate, military, law enforcement and intelligence communities.

Infrastructure, Networks and Telecoms: Chris Truman

I've had a 20 year career in IT, working in Infrastructure, Networks and Telecoms. I've worked at all levels and have headed up and delivered global transformational infrastructure projects for FTSE 100 companies - helping to understand the business needs and translate them into real world, innovative solutions. I've worked in the FMCG, Finance and Manufacturing sectors.

Construction Industry: Raj Shah

Raj has over 30 years' experience working in the construction industry, and in particular the house building sector. Graduating in quantity surveying, he began his career working for Kier as a contracts surveyor, moving on as surveying director and managing director for regional house developers. During this period, Raj has overseen the development of 140 housing sites, delivering around 3,500 homes in and around Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. He established a new regional operation of a national house developer and successfully introduced

innovative designs and construction methods to significantly increase business profile and profitability. He now provides advice to private investors wishing to invest and develop property. Raj thinks that the construction industry is lagging behind other industries in embracing new technology and believes that there are opportunities for the University and its business partners to seek out technology-led opportunities to improve design, production and performance of buildings. Raj is a board member and chair of a subsidiary of Housing 21, specialising in the provision of sheltered accommodation and care services.

BCS Bedford Branch: Sue Brandreth, BVetMed, MSc, BSc, HND, MBCS

Sue represents the Bedfordshire branch of the BCS as Membership Secretary and Education Liaison Officer. Now an experienced Computing/IT lecturer, teacher, commercial trainer and web developer, Sue originally qualified as a veterinary surgeon and worked for many years in veterinary practice in the UK. In addition, while employed by the Overseas Development Administration (ODA), she led a veterinary investigation team working in Paraguay for three years. She has also worked in similar roles in the Middle East. She also completed research towards a PhD investigating the pathogenicity and immunology of respiratory disease among the UK pig population,

With the development of a passion for all things relating to computing, Sue gained IT qualifications and trained as a teacher, and then worked as a lecturer, assessor, commercial trainer and higher education program manager at Bedford College for over 12 years - specialising, where possible, in web technologies. She is a firm advocate of life-long learning. Sue is currently a freelance teacher, trainer and web developer and is currently working as a visiting lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire.

BCS Bedfordshire Branch Secretary: Saverio Bongo

Saverio Bongo has over 30 years' experience implementing a wide range of IT financial solutions for some of the large and small retail, investment banks and hedge funds in Europe and UK. Saverio has worked on some notable implementations - the first ATM installation at Nationwide BS and Girobank. Established one of the first HELP24 support service.

Saverio gained his Computer Science degree at the University of Hertfordshire. His career began at the ground level in software development and progressed through to project management and most recently in consultancy sales. Received a number of awards for achieving his sales targets.

Saverio is now dividing his time between supporting the good causes of the BCS as the Bedfordshire Branch Secretary, co-founded the Executive Forum (St Albans), an internet portal connecting professionals with businesses and vice versa, providing sales consultancy to SMEs and is an advocate for closer collaboration between education and industry.

David Brett BSc FCA CEng FIET

An engineering graduate of UCNW, Bangor, David obtained a Graduate and Student premium award from the Institution of Electrical Engineers. David's design experience includes Stage Lighting and Call systems at many West End and Provincial theatres in the UK and overseas, Moving Signs and Building Management and Conservation systems.

David also trained as a Chartered Accountant and started his own business, Green Ginger Limited. Patented, innovative techniques led to the production of highly portable and low cost lighting control systems. David also helped recruit new members of the IEE (now the Institution of Engineering and Technology).

After a period involved in the management buyout of a chain of picture framing shops he spent a short time setting up the computer division in a firm of Chartered Accountants. This was spun off and became the foundation for Ivy Ltd providing bespoke development and support accounting and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems.

Currently David is spearheading a move into the development of renewable energy control systems with particular interest in RF Energy Transfer.

www.ivy.ltd.uk

University Business Development: Phil McCluskey of Rohde Schwarz UK

Phil has a PhD in X-Ray Spectroscopy of Catalysis which he gained at Queen Mary University of London in 1990. He later spent three years in the Physics Dept at Leicester University working on the atomic structure of thin film systems at the atomic layer. Phil had a career change in the mid 90s by moving into sales. He moved to Rohde & Schwarz in 1999 and is now responsible for Sales, Support and Relations with UK Universities which is now an important market sector within Rohde & Schwarz UK. He also sits on the University of Surrey IAB.

Rizwana Zaman, Business Growth Officer

Rizwana is an integral part of the Economic Development team at Luton Borough Council. She has experience of business resilience as well as business growth, and was instrumental in setting up the Luton Technology Network, an industry group focussed on the advanced manufacturing sector and which meets three times each year. Rizwana has extensive knowledge of the local economy and of the University of Bedfordshire, given that she gained both her MBA here and her Prince2 qualifications with us. Rizwana represents the strategic interests of Luton businesses.