Problem solver, technologist, inventor
Successful AI implementation needs someone who can define the right problem, work hands-on with the data and technology, design new solutions where off-the-shelf ones fall short, and tie every step to commercial and operational value.
- Frame the problem precisely.Define the operational question, the decision it informs and the KPIs that will measure success.
- Find the signal in the data.Map what data exists, where it sits and how good it is, then look for the patterns and correlations that explain performance.
- Design the solution.Combine data sources, models and operational knowledge in new ways, rather than defaulting to an off-the-shelf answer.
- Prototype and validate fast.Build a working prototype and test it against the agreed KPIs before committing to scale.
- Turn it into a product.Integrate the proven solution into the systems and workflows people already use, with the governance, security and adoption that live operations require.
Done before, in live operations
At SATAVIA, the AI company I founded and sold to GE Aerospace, I built models combining aircraft-engine data with the environmental conditions aircraft fly through to predict component wear, then contrail-avoidance and flight-planning optimisation combining weather forecasts with flight data. Both started as a question and became products used in live operations by airlines, manufacturers, maintenance organisations and a defence customer. Making them work meant integrating with existing flight-planning and enterprise software, satisfying security and data reviews, and earning the trust of operations teams. At GE Aerospace I led the integration of the product into GE's software platform and cloud environment.
I also know how to turn an idea into a funded, delivered programme. I wrote and won proposals with European and UK space, aerospace and innovation funders, then ran each programme end to end: managing partners, budgets and milestones, and often doing the technical work myself.
I use frontier AI tools every day to analyse data, build prototypes and run my own businesses, so I know what they can and cannot do. I have worked closely with large technology partners, sovereign investors and government stakeholders across the Middle East, and I am comfortable moving between the operations floor, the engineering team and the boardroom.