Sirius are delighted to announce that Paul Vernon, Xavier Downs, Sanath Rajagopal, Colin Drysdale and Iain Grice have recently joined the team.
Paul has joined as Principal Systems Engineering consultant, with 25 years’ experience delivering and managing complex capabilities to the Land domain and wider MOD, with a particular focus on C4ISR systems and services. As a consultant, Paul has worked within the MOD LETacCIS programme, delivering systems engineering and wider systems support to projects and capabilities. He has delivered large project technical de-risking activities, working closely with industry partners and wider MOD stakeholders to reduce technical risk to project delivery across the systems engineering lifecycle. Prior to consultancy, Paul spent over 20 years’ in the British Army where he was responsible for the delivery of complex telecommunication systems and services to deployed forces. His last position in the Army was putting this knowledge and experience to use by training the future telecommunications capability managers.
Xavier is joining as a Graduate Analyst. He has joined from Loughborough University, where he recently graduated with a 2:1 Masters in Aeronautical Engineering (MEng). His degree included an independent final year project, where he used machine learning and computer vision to improve autonomous solar farm surveying. He has gained experience in systems engineering and systems modelling techniques on a number of university projects, including designing an exploratory mission to Venus.
Sanath is joining as a Managing Consultant. He is a highly capable and internationally recognised Cost Estimator specialising in Software Estimating, Software Obsolescence Management, Software Obsolescence Cost Estimating and Parametric Estimating. He is an ISPA (International Society of Parametric Association) certified cost estimator who worked in various high profile Defence projects in ISS/ISTAR, Cyber, Air, Maritime and Land domains, providing costing services at all stages of the procurement cycle in setting budgets, historic trends and Independent Cost Estimates assurances for government business cases. Sanath is specialist fellow of DE&S and Fellow of QinetiQ. Sanath is the current chairman of SCAF and a Visiting Professor of Engineering and Cost Management at Birmingham City University.
Colin is joining as a Principal Consultant. He has a degree in Physics and is an excellent Decision Support Analyst and Systems Engineer with over thirty years of experience. Colin has a good track record of success of in helping clients plan and obtain funding for, and deliver, complex equipment and business change projects. He is adept at converting customer’s visions into reality across all phases of the project lifecycle. Colin is experienced in capturing and articulating requirements at project initiation; identifying and interacting with stakeholders and business case financial ‘gate-keepers’; conducting the Decision Support Analysis to produce evidence to secure funding for the project; and planning and conducting system, service, and user acceptance testing at delivery.
Iain is joining a senior Consultant. He has 5 years of experience working in defence on complex technologies and engineering with extensive experience working closely with military customers. Before joining Sirius, Iain worked on military diving technology, conducting work throughout the engineering life cycle, especially in requirements capture and testing and trials. Within this he has helped bring into service underwater mobility systems and develop technologies to be used in future military diving equipment. He has also spent significant time embedded in a military unit undertaking capability development projects and operational support tasks utilising systems engineering techniques to undertake fast paced delivery projects in support of operational needs. Before joining Sirius, Iain worked at Dstl and completed a gained a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nottingham
Paul, Xavier, Sanath, Colin and Iain; Welcome to the team!
