Meet the Team

Owners/Directors

Michael Hill - Managing Director

Working for Optima since: Incorporation, August 1995
Education: BSc Hons. Electrical Engineering, Manchester Uni
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: Line 2 Lithographic coating line at Kodak, Leeds. 1st BIG job we undertook after starting the company.

Adrian West - Technical Director

Working for Optima since: Incorporation, August 1995
Education: BSc. Phd. Electrical Engineering Manchester University
Other Qualifications: MIET
Specialities: Variable speed drive design and application. Web transport systems

Directors

Peter Sharpe - Sales Director

Working for Optima since: 1997
Education: HNS Electrical Engineering
Specialities: Web Transport Systems
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: Selling a £500 k coater control system; Upgrade at Tullis Russell Glenrothes.

Mark Turner - Engineering Director

Working for Optima since: 2001
Education: BEng (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Salford University 1990
Other Qualifications: Chartered Electrical Engineer, Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (CEng MIET)
Specialities: (in no particular order) Electrical design, PLC software, SCADA software, HMI software, machinery safety system design, drive systems (ac, dc and servo drives), specification of control systems to meet customer requirements.

Senior Engineers

Ian Brady

Working for Optima since: 1999
Education: BEng Electrical Engineering Bradford University
Specialities: For others to decide...
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: All of them!!!!

Nick Maclean

Working for Optima since: 2005
Education: Milton Keynes Technical College 1981 - 88
C&G Electrical Engineering Parts 1 + 2
C&G Electrical Engineering Part 3 (Higher Certificate). Specialisation: Motors and Drives – Distinction
BTEC III Electrical Engineering
BTEC III/IV Electronic Engineering
Specialities: Web Transport and Winding Technology applications for papers films and foils. Step5 & Step7.
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: Designing control system for VTU units of Bridon’s Furnace line in Doncaster.

Design Engineers

Gary Ripley

Working for Optima since: 2005
Education: HNS Electrical Engineering
Specialities: Electrical design with 30 years of experience.
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: Working on Tullis Russell’s Truflo Coater

Stephen Carradice

Working for Optima since: 2006
Education: BEng (Hons) Integrated Engineering Systems
BTec National Diploma in Electrical Engineering
BTec First Diploma in Engineering
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: It was a £300,000 project on a belt machine in China for Voith Paper.

Michael Howard

Working for Optima since: 2008
Education: HNC Electrical Engineering
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: Tensar’s Biax Line, my first job for Optima

Raymond Lapa

Working for Optima since: 2008
Education: BEng Electronic and Computer Engineering
Specialities: Siemens PLCs, WinCC Flexible, WinCC explorer.
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: Conveying control system for SCA Hygiene.

Liam Taylor

Working for Optima since: 2010
Education: BEng 1994 from Manchester Uni
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: Testing equipment for Tensar’s Biax Line

Colin O'Connor

Working for Optima since: 2010
Education: BEng 1st class hons, Dublin Institute of Technology
Specialities: Panel Design, Variable Speed Drives, PLC Programming & SCADA.
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: Lathe control system upgrade for Dunlop Oil and Marine Grimsby.

Sales & Marketing Team

Mark Lane

Working for Optima since: 1999
Education: BEng Electronics and Electrical Engineering - UCLAN
BEng (hons) Telecommunications, Lancaster University
Masters By Research The University of Huddersfield
Other Qualifications: 17th Edition Electrical Installation, Inspection and Testing of Electrical installations.
Specialities: Siemens Automation.
Parker SSD Drives and Link Technology.
Winding, flying splice, printing, servo applications.
Many years of experience in the Tufting industry.
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: The Tullis Russell Truflo Coater – Optima’s largest project at the time (£350k);
I also like making (and drinking) cups of tea. Which we are really good at.

Colin Keating

Working for Optima since: 2007
Education: 19 yrs Worldwide University of Extreme Engineering Experience.
Other Qualifications: HNC Electrical Power Eng
ONC Electrical\Electronic Eng
NVQ Level 4 Technician Engineer
Specialities: Paper Machines
Vacuum Metalisers
Web Transport
Flying Splice \ Butt splice winders
Installation and Commissioning
Favourite engineering job completed over the years is: For Optima: Lithographic plate line for ‘Process Line’ When Zhou, China.
Prior to Optima: £39,000,000 fine paper machine for ‘Beloit’, and ‘SAPPI Enstra’ in Johannesburg South Africa.

Tracey Hindle

Working for Optima since: 2008
Education: Bolton Met College- Travel & Tourism Business & Finance
Specialities: Sales, Organisation and Managerial Skills
Enjoys working for Optima because: Optima are a family run business and on joining the group I became part of the family. They are dedicated and excellent in what they do and I have no problems telling that to anyone who will listen. Optima Control Solutions is a company I am proud to say “I work for them”.

Hristina Stefanova

Working for Optima since: 2011
Education: Bsc Marketing 1st class Hons, Lancaster University, 2011
Specialities: Marketing management
Enjoys working for Optima because: Friendly atmosphere, extremely smart people and the sense of trust and responsibility.

IT Team

Greg Ellwood - Software Engineer

Working for Optima since: 2004
Education: BSc (hons) Software Engineering - Sheffield Hallam - 1997-2001
Specialities: Design and development of web applications and databases - ASP.NET, C#, SQL Server 2008 R2, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Favourite jobs at Optima: InfoServe365 AssetManager and company website work.

Alastair Fay - IT Manager

Working for Optima since: 2010
Education: Microsoft Certified Professional;
Certified Linux Systems Administator (CompTIA Linux+)
Certified Network Administrator (CompTIA Network+)
Specialities: IT
Enjoy working in conjunction with the Engineers on projects involving old computer systems – sometimes ‘modernising’ them with technologies such as virtualisation, whilst still retaining the original functionality.
Optima prides itself by being up to date with modern computing technologies, such as cloud computing and virtualisation, to equip our Engineers with the tools required.

Administration

Julie Atherton - Accounts

Working for Optima since: 2006
Education: BA (QTS) Warwick University
Enjoys working for Optima because: The company takes very good care of its employees – they are all lovely people!

Jan Maclean - Directors PA and Office Manager

Working for Optima since: 2006
Education: Part 1 Banking Exams - Milton Keynes College
Other Qualifications: Qualified Personal Coach
Specialities: Organisation, Management, Customer Service and Facilities
Enjoys working for Optima with her husband.

Recent Hires