New chief executive for smart antennas firm Sofant

Smart antenna specialist Sofant Technologies today announced its appointment of David Wither as chief executive.

David Wither, new chief executive at Edinburgh spin-out Sofant. Picture: Chris Watt

The Edinburgh spin-out, which earlier this year secured more than £1.5 million of funding under the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument programme, said Wither “will play a major role in developing and implementing a strategic business plan” to take its technology to market, including strategic partnerships.

The firm has developed the means to potentially double a mobile device’s battery life and significantly cut energy usage in wireless networks, and co-founder and chief operating officer Ahmed El-Rayis said Wither has “exactly what we need to take our technology to market”.

He will lead the team of seven, which “will likely grow as production gears up,” and brings more than 20 years’ experience in radio technologies and more than ten as a chief executive. He also recently raised more than £2m in venture capital for mobile-tech firm Acconeer, developing a detailed strategy to bring the company’s wireless sensor technology to market.

He said: “A central part of my job now is to find the right market for us, develop a series of strategic partnerships, make sure we can scale up the manufacturing process to meet demand and ensure the product is ready for the future market in two to three years.”