Team
Ian Pulford
Chief Executive Officer
Ian is a senior telecommunication professional and has filled executive roles in the UK and overseas. Since leaving BT (British Telecommunications), he has led SME businesses, focused on smart city initiatives, and worked with central and local governments to deliver large scale programmes on behalf of corporates, councils, and universities.
Bringing drive and ambition, leading the deployment of core connectivity and data-centric projects, delivering sector specific pilots in health, energy, water, transport, and citizen engagement.
Ian has a background in electrical engineering and holds an MBA from Temple University (Tokyo campus), attaining the Dean’s Award for excellence.
Dr. John Davies
Chief Digital Officer
Dr John Davies is Chief Digital Officer at Smart City Consultancy Ltd, where he is responsible for all aspects of data infrastructure platforms and analytics. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Manchester.
Previously he was head of IoT Research at BT. He has authored over 100 scientific publications and is the inventor of several patents, and is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and a Chartered Engineer.
Kieran Arnold
Chief Technical Officer
Kieran Arnold started his career with the Royal Air force as an engineering officer working on mission critical and tactical communications systems.
Over the past 20 years he has held several senior and executive roles in industry leading organisations, these included R&D Chief Technical Officer for Orange, PCS, Head of Telecoms payload engineering for Airbus Defence & Space and more recently Chief Architect for the Satellite Applications Catapult. all these roles focus on the development of advanced communications and position system.
His current work focuses on the exploitation of key positioning and communications technologies that underpin and support collaborative and co-ordinated autonomous systems.
Paul Flowers
Chief Business Officer
Paul has over 20 years of corporate experience in areas of business transformation and change. He has led organisation change in design, development and implementation, business operations and management, service operations, service improvement and customer experience.
Paul holds and MSC from Cranfield University
Ian Thurlow
Lead Technologist
Ian has over 45 years' experience in the telecommunications industry, working on the design of network management systems, the development of unified messaging platforms, research into knowledge management tools and applications, and forecasting the demand for network repair.
More recently he has led the development and integration work on numerous smart cities and Internet of Things projects. Ian holds a BEng degree in electronics engineering from the University of East Anglia, and MSc and EngD degrees from University College London. He is a Chartered Engineer and member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.
Baran Sahan
Head of operations
Baran Sahan is the Head of Operations at Smart City Consultancy Ltd, with a background in both robotics and aeronautics. He will be leading the operations of the control room environment and Smart City experience centre in Milton Keynes.
He is also the Robotics Lead at Swift Robotics who is a key partner in MK projects.
Baran is an MSc graduate in Advanced Aerospace Engineering from Imperial College London and previously worked in the development of VTOL BVLOS UAV systems as an Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics Engineer.
Casey Ashton-Smith
Head of systems
In his role with Smart City Consultancy, Casey oversees systems operations and the development of the Smart City brand.
Casey has led the UK and ROI international expansion of a New Zealand based Proptech company, building out the team, systems, business processes and brand. Within this role, he has overseen the development a consumer facing platform and associated systems for seamlessly managing the moving home process.
Casey holds a BSc from the University of Buckingham. Alongside his role at Smart City Consultancy, Casey is Chief Operating Officer for Please Connect Me limited.
Akhil Hariharasudhan
Robotics Engineer
Akhil Hariharasudhan is a Robotics Engineer at Smart City Consultancy Ltd, with a strong foundation in robotics and mechanical engineering, passionate about shaping the future through technology. Akhil’s expertise lies in mobile robots, manipulators, and their application in smart city projects. Excited to contribute to innovative solutions and drive progress in the world of robotics.
Akhil holds an MSc in Robotics from Cranfield University.
Omkar Pradhan
Robotics Engineer
A highly skilled and forward-thinking Robotics and Mechanical engineer with a strong focus on AI, machine vision, and CAD design. With a natural aptitude for leadership and proven strengths in problem-solving, time management, and teamwork, and a dynamic professional with a passion for innovation in engineering.
Shobhit Maniar
Robotics Engineer
Shobhit Maniar, a Robotics Engineer at Smart City Consultancy, brings a diverse background in robotics, AI, and mechanical engineering. With a solid foundation from academia and hands-on projects, Shobhit excels in manipulator, machine vision, SLAM, and Human-Robot interaction. His specialization in developing GPT-based robots and robot fleet management for smart applications reflects a passion for harnessing artificial intelligence's potential to shape the future of human-robot interaction. Eager to contribute his technical acumen and innovative mindset, Shobhit is dedicated to making significant strides in the groundbreaking StreetCAV project.
Sairaj Dillikar
Robotics Engineer
Sairaj Dillikar is a Robotics Engineer at Smart City Consultancy Ltd, specializing in Robot Operating System (ROS) with a strong background in Electronics Engineering. During his Master’s degree in Robotics from Cranfield University, Sairaj excelled in simulation-based projects, showcasing his expertise in ROS and his ability to deliver innovative problem-solving. Sairaj is committed to driving progress in robotics and smart city initiatives, bringing a collaborative, process-driven approach to every project.
Andrés Rutter
Robotics Engineer Degree Apprentice
Andrés, an apprentice at Smart City Consultancy Ltd and part-time student at Cranfield University, is currently learning ROS, Robot Systems and all the other aspects of Robotics. During his time in the role, he has been exposed to Networking, Electronics and handling different types of robot in the Experience Centre. He is primarily involved in the StreetCAV trials and overlooking the Experience Centre, ensuring everything is running properly, and assisting the autonomous shuttle during testing phases. Andrés is eager to learn about the ever-evolving industry of robotics and participate in future projects and opportunities in the field.