Meet the Team
We are building Actuation Lab to be the place where the world’s foremost hardware innovators solve global problems through ground-breaking research and working with a network of world-leading industrial partners.
The Founders
Dr Simon Bates – CEO
Dr Simon Bates – CEO
Simon began his career developing 3D-printing machines, before running a manufacturing consultancy, becoming a TechX pioneer at the UK’s Net Zero Technology Centre, and then co-founding Actuation Lab.
Simon’s take – “I believe we can become one of the UK’s foremost innovators in mechanical hardware. To achieve this, we have formed partnerships with some of the UK’s best manufacturing centres, gained a group of extremely supportive investors, and are excited to be expanding our team of like-minded thinkers over the coming year.”
Dr Michael Dicker – CTO
Dr Michael Dicker – CTO
An Australian engineer, Michael moved to the UK in 2012 to undertake research into composite artificial muscle technology at the University of Bristol. This work led to the invention of the technology that set Actuation Lab into motion.
Michael’s thoughts – “With the advances in design methods, materials, and manufacturing over the last decade, it’s become possible to develop new hardware faster and cheaper than was previously imaginable. There are countless status quo technologies running our industries that remain unrevised despite these tools and I’m excited that we are changing that.”
Dr Tom Llewellyn-Jones – Head of R&D
Dr Tom Llewellyn-Jones – Head of R&D
A physicist turned engineer with a decade of advanced manufacturing experience, Tom’s expertise is in rapid prototyping using advanced composite materials. Tom leads the manufacturing and empirical analysis team at Actuation Lab.
Tom’s thoughts – “I believe our team have some extremely valuable and unique manufacturing capabilities and intellectual property surrounding them that could prove invaluable across a whole range of industries. It’s my job to be sure we grow these capabilities to deliver robust, reliable products to market quickly.”
The Everyday Innovators
Gaëlle Henriet – Project Manager
Gaëlle Henriet – Project Manager
Gaëlle has had a varied career over the past 10 years, wearing various hats as a translator, a crochet tutor, and an admin assistant. After initially using her admin skills and her wealth of experience to help Actuation Lab run smoothly as an Administrator, she is now our Project Manager.
Always on the lookout for typos, Gaëlle is a reliable, highly organised & quality-focused problem solver, keen to learn about engineering and passionate about environmental issues.
Oli Parks – R&D Engineer
Oli Parks – R&D Engineer
Oli is an R&D engineer with an engineering doctorate in composites manufacturing. With a passion for innovation and long-term sustainability, Oli has developed novel engineering solutions in large-scale composite marine vessel manufacturing and tidal stream turbines. He is also a published author, having made key contributions to “Marine Composites: Design and Performance”.
Oli is now using his expertise in product design to aid Actuation Lab in the development of the Dragonfly Valve.
James Irvin – R&D Engineer
James Irvin – R&D Engineer
James joined the team in late 2022 after completing his Masters in Engineering Design at the University of Bristol. James already has a proven track record in the development of novel mechanical devices, being a key contributor to the creation of a patent pending drug delivery system for the medical sector.
James will be building on this experience as an R&D engineer at Actuation Lab, with a key focus on advancing next generation, zero-emission actuation systems for flow control hardware.
Ryan Vickers-Rendall – Mechanical Design Engineer
Ryan Vickers-Rendall – Mechanical Design Engineer
Ryan joined Actuation Lab at the start of 2023 as a Mechanical Design Engineer, bringing with him over a decade of experience in hands-on engineering in the defence industry. As well as industrial hydraulic and pneumatic system expertise, Ryan personally owns multiple 3D printers and is no stranger to rapid prototype development.
In his role as Mechanical Design Engineer, Ryan is working across all areas of flow control hardware development at Actuation Lab.
Joe Hailes – R&D Engineer
Joe Hailes – R&D Engineer
Joe joined the engineering team in April 2023, with a first-class Aerospace Engineering Degree and 3 years of complex manufacturing experience as a CAD/CAM Engineer.
Beyond his technical experience, Joe has an astute awareness of the importance of effective stakeholder management, and will be working closely with our growing supply chain in his role as a manufacturing-focussed R&D Engineer.
Rachel Jarvis – Operations Manager
Rachel Jarvis – Operations Manager
Rachel joined the team as Operations Manager in April 2023, bringing with her over a decade of experience in commercial management, gained from a diverse range of roles within the tech industry.
Passionate about organisation, sustainability and optimising processes, Rachel’s first challenge will be to move us to brand new premises which support our ambitious strategy for growth as well as our core value of being as environmentally friendly as possible.
Hritik Katra – R&D Engineer
Hritik Katra – R&D Engineer
Hritik joined us in 2023 with previous hands-on experience in developing flow control technologies in a fast-paced, high-growth business setting.
Hritik will be leveraging his skills as a mechanical engineer to further develop our valve control systems, as well as building our next generation of in-house testing equipment, which will ensure our technology meets the extremely demanding conditions in hydrogen flow control.
Abul Chowdhury – Business Development Manager
Abul Chowdhury – Business Development Manager
Abul joins Actuation Lab with more than a decade of extensive experience in business planning and supply chain, new product development, marketing and product management from the steel industry. Abul’s experience crosses national borders in building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders and partners in the pursuit of identifying and developing new business opportunities.
With a proven track record of success and a commitment to community involvement, Abul is passionate about bringing innovation and strategic thinking to Actuation Lab’s growth ambitions.
Tobias Sandin – Mechanical Design Engineer
Tobias Sandin – Mechanical Design Engineer
Tobi joins Actuation Lab with a history of working with rapidly expanding start-ups, leading R&D projects, and proving out concept technology in both the hydraulics and cycling industry. In his three years of experience as a mechanical design engineer, he became the co-inventor of a novel active suspension system.
Using this experience, Tobi will be developing and demonstrating the latest technology in zero-emission flow technology at Actuation Lab.
Fiona Cooke – R&D Engineer
Fiona Cooke – R&D Engineer
Fiona joined the team with a Mechanical Engineering degree and a Biomedical Engineering masters, and 18 months’ experience writing and executing test plans of novel products to rigorous standards at an aerospace start-up.
Fiona will be working as an R&D Engineer, using her knowledge to take Actuation Lab through the stringent certification standards required.
Hariye Beydilli – Office Coordinator
Hariye Beydilli – Office Coordinator
Hariye joined the team in 2023 as the Office Coordinator, after having studied Sociology at The University of Liverpool.
Hariye now applies her sociological knowledge to create a positive and productive work environment at Actuation Lab, and is dedicated to assisting us in our professional and environmental pursuits.
Kevin Egan – Engineering Manager
Kevin Egan - Engineering Manager
Kevin brings 14 years of product development experience to Actuation Lab. He has developed industry-disrupting products from early-stage development to production, analysing and improving designs and processes to ensure that the finished products met industry and customer standards.
He joins Actuation Lab as the Engineering Manager after leading engineering teams in both global industry-leading companies and early-stage start-ups. He will work with the engineering team to refine our innovative designs and develop the processes required to rapidly build and certify them.
Alex Benton – Graduate R&D Engineer
Alex Benton - Graduate R&D Engineer
Alex joined Actuation Lab in January 2024, holding a Masters in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Cambridge, and with a fresh face from a year spent travelling the globe on his bicycle. He also brings two years of industrial experience, including a placement at an engineering design consultancy, and a digital manufacturing position at the Institute for Manufacturing, Cambridge.
With expertise in modern manufacturing techniques and in technology scale up, Alex will play a major role in taking Actuation Lab from prototype creation to revenue generation.
The Wise Counsel
Dr Steve Kitson – Chair
Dr Steve Kitson – Chair
Steve’s career spans academia, multinationals and start-ups. Steve co-founded and led the active camouflage company Folium Optics until a successful exit in 2019. Steve’s experience in developing hardware businesses, 3 previous Chair appointments and time spent building effective teams of tech innovators make him an extremely valuable addition to the team.
Jonathan White – Business Development Advisor
Jonathan White – Business Development Advisor
Jonathan is a senior executive with 30 years’ business development and marketing experience in the UK energy sector. He joined the team after mentoring the founders at the Net Zero Technology Centre TechX accelerator. Jonathan’s involvement at Actuation Lab continues to open doors into UK gas distribution and energy markets.
Andrew Tapson – CFO
Andrew Tapson – CFO
Andrew has a wide-ranging 35-year career across financial subsidiaries of global blue chips including ING, AT&T and Bank of America and is also highly experienced in fields of start-up growth and exits. Andrew began working with Actuation Lab as a part-time CFO in 2021 to support the team’s multifaceted growth plans.
Rob Boycott – Business Development Associate
Rob Boycott – Business Development Associate
Rob has spent over 35 years working in sales and commercial development in the oil and gas valve and actuator industry. He supports Actuation Lab with a relentless work ethic and true passion for the industry, gaining the team access to his following of thousands of industrial contacts and providing up-to-the-minute market insight.
