Silicon Fen shorts: new CEO for nCipher; CSR's Bluetooth into Fords
Recent milestones in the Cambridge High Tech cluster include:
nCipher plc, a market leader in protecting critical enterprise data, appointed Geoffrey Finlay as CEO and Director.
Mr Finlay, 54, has over 25 years experience within the enterprise software industry. He was CEO at Kewill Systems plc until 2001, having previously been MD of JDA Software Inc, Intersolv plc and Data 3 Systems Inc. Since leaving Kewill, he has served as Chairman on the boards of several technology companies, including Cachelogic and UDEX, primarily leading them on their strategies and business development, and is the founder and non-executive Chairman of Biobanc Group (formerly Life4ce), a life sciences services company.
nCipher's co-founder Alex van Someren (pictured) will step down as CEO on Monday (3 December 2007), a position he has held for more than 11 years. He has agreed to remain on the Board until the end of the year and to provide advice and support for Geoffrey Finlay through 2008.
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CSR said its BlueCore4-ROM Bluetooth silicon features in Ford's in-car communications and entertainment system called SYNC. As well as offering hands free operation of personal media players (PMPs), CSR's technology allows SYNC users full hands free operation of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones, to make calls and access music. Ford's SYNC will be fully integrated into twelve Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, including the 2008 Focus, Taurus X and Explorer, by the end of the year, and will be available or standard in nearly every Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle by the end of next year.
Alex Green, Research Director at IMS Research said: "The proportion of cars produced with factory fitted Bluetooth devices is forecast to more than treble during the next five years. Including the aftermarket, in excess of 50 million Bluetooth-enabled products are projected to be sold into the automotive sector in 2010. With its BlueCore range and relationships with companies such as Ford, CSR is well placed to take advantage of this rapidly growing market."
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DisplayLink, a network display chip and software company that creates simple connections between computers and displays via USB, said it has been named Emerging Technology Company of the Year by the National Microelectronics Institute (NMI).
The NMI is a trade association representing the semiconductor industry in the UK and Ireland, and its awards bring together stakeholders from across the global microelectronics industry to acknowledge excellence in design, manufacturing, business and education.
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Quartix was ranked Number 38 in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50; a ranking of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the UK. To determine the fastest growing companies, Deloitte reviewed fiscal year revenues and calculated the average percentage revenue growth for each nominated company over the past five years. Quartix grew 1130% during this period.
Established in 2001, Quartix' sales of its integrated tracking devices have increased by over 60% this year. Its internet-based system is used by over 1,500 companies in more than 13,500 commercial vehicles to improve business capacity and customer service, enhance vehicle security and assist with meeting duty of care requirements. The ‘live-on-the-web’ tracking facility allows 24/7 visibility of the mobile workforce from any online PC, and this is complemented by online fleet activity logs detailing up-to-the-minute and historical data.
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ip.access, a specialist in picocell and femtocell technologies, picked up the “World Communication Award” for “Best Technology Foresight” for its Oyster 3G femtocell, a low-power home access point that significantly improves 3G cellular coverage for voice and data services in the home.
30th November 2007
