Meet The Team - Cyclops Marine

Cyclops is a team of experienced sailors and experts in their respective professional fields. We aim to deliver the best products and customer service possible.

Ian ‘Chips’ Howarth

Director, CEO

Ian has been in the senior management teams of marine industry businesses for the last 20 years and brings a wealth of experience in global branding and distribution. A retired sailor, ‘Chips’ boasts multiple world championship titles as well as Olympic level coaching.

Edward Colby

Director, CTO

A whizz with a soldering iron or CAD model, Ed develops and designs our sensors, as well as overseeing setting up production. Ed completed his undergraduate and PhD at Cambridge University, specialising in implantable sensors. Since then he has has worked as a technical advisor to international clients for 20 years and has led the development of technologies and products that have been transformative in their industries.

Tom Pickles

VP USA Sales & Non-Marine Business Development

Tom formulates our American sales strategy and looks after U.S accounts, he also manages non-marine projects and looks at new opportunities to apply our technology to more non-marine applications.

He is a competitive sailor with 15 years’ experience in the marine industry, managing complex custom projects through the supply of tailored equipment and relationship management.

Joanne Serrano

Office Admin & Finance

Joanne oversees the accounting and office functions to keep us running day to day. She comes from a background in finance working across a broad range of industries.

Sam Cray

Sales Manager

Sam joined us in the UK for a couple of years from New Zealand, before returning to his homeland again where he works remotely. Sam brings high level technical experience from working in the design offices of some of the leading marine industry companies. He has a great eye for detail and is the “Cyclopedia” brain of Cyclops.

Ben Hazeldine

Sales Manager

With a burning passion for sailing, Ben developed his knowledge and skills through years of competing and coaching at a world class level. Picking up his first national title aged 14, he has gone onto multiple international top 10s in the 470 class, a class win at the Rolex Fastnet and score podiums in IRC, P40 and One Design fleets. Ben graduated with a first-class honours degree in Business Management, and has experience in technical account management, working closely with OEM and aftermarket accounts in both cruising and performance sectors.

Jessica Briand

France OEM Sales

With a wealth of experience in sales, account management and customer care in the marine industry and beyond, Jess lends her considerable talents to support our sales presence in France.

Benny Bruce

Marketing Support

Benny supports us with our marketing campaigns as we grow the business and market awareness. He is a skilled copywriter with a background in sports marketing and a master’s degree in European Culture & Thought.

Vasimira Bambova

Marketing Executive

Vasi is our fitness-driven Marketing Executive! With a Digital Marketing degree and a passion for fitness, Vasi brings creativity and data-driven strategies to our team. When not excelling in marketing, she is pursuing a Personal Trainer qualification, inspiring us all with her commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

Conor Whelan

Supply Chain Manager

Conor joined Cyclops in September 2022. A passionate sailor, Conor has been on the water for 20 years. He has raced competitively in dinghies, SB20s and Cape 31’s – but most of all he enjoys sitting in a quiet anchorage with a book. Conor manages procurement, production and distribution at Cyclops.

Simon Leeming

Electronics Engineer

Simon works for us alongside studying his Masters of Mechanical Engineering with Mechatronics at the University of Southampton. Simon moved from Newcastle to the South coast for his studies, and is now an established navigator on the Solent circuit, racing in the Performance 40 class on Darkwood. He is passionate about the cutting edge of technology in marine electronics, leading Cyclops to new heights in innovation.

Yue Wern Lim

MEng Aeronautics and Astronautics Graduate

Yue is a recent graduate of MEng Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Southampton. She is now a dynamic member of the engineering team at Cyclops Marine. Passionate about innovative problem-solving, Yue is eager to contribute to ground-breaking projects in the industry.

Board Members

Peter Hiscocks

Chairman

Peter has founded 14 businesses of which he has sold ten. One of these was Pod Point Ltd, launching on the LSE main market in 2021 with a market capitalisation of £350 million. Peter has been working in the entrepreneurial community of Cambridge for over 40 years and set up the 1st Department of Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge in 2000.

Mark Woodhams

Director

Mark spent several decades as a private equity investor and fund manager in the infrastructure sector. He continues some activity in that space, but is now primarily focused on building and managing a portfolio of unquoted technology investments, a number of which he is involved with at board level.