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 poisoning 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
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.
“Kent” Yam Tze Hou
Robotics Engineer
A Robotics Engineer a background in computer science and game development who studied in Malaysia, United States and United Kingdom. Passionate about utilizing these skills to solve complex problems and develop innovative solutions, with a commitment to applying this knowledge towards cutting-edge robotics technology. Dedicated to continuous learning and growth in the field, with a strong drive to expand knowledge of the latest algorithms and technologies through new challenges and opportunities. Committed to collaborative teamwork and pursuit of excellence, with a focus on making a meaningful impact in the field of robotics engineering.
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.