Sky's the limit as Glasgow space technology pioneer unveils leadership hires

Space technology pioneer R3-IoT has unveiled major leadership hires as it gears up for global expansion.

The leadership team additions at the Glasgow venture follow a £3.1 million seed investment round led by US-based venture capital fund Space Capital, joined by the Scottish National Investment Bank.

The company, which utilises satellite infrastructure to provide businesses with continuous, accurate data from remote locations, is now on track to commercialise and establish global operations in 2022.

Among the key appointments, Sarah McLaughlin joins the firm’s executive team as vice president of marketing. She brings more than 15 years’ industry experience spanning brands such as PwC, Tesco Bank, National Australia Bank and Glasgow Caledonian University.

Kevin Quillien, CTO and co-founder; Evelyn Walker, VP operations; Dave Falkingham, VP sales; Sarah McLaughlin, VP marketing; Allan Cannon, CEO and co-founder.

McLaughlin was recently appointed chair of the gender diversity workstream of Scotland’s Digital Economy Skills Group.

Dave Falkingham joins as vice president of sales to lead R3-IoT’s global sales and business development team as the company gears up for commercial launch.

Meanwhile, Evelyn Walker has been appointed as vice president of operations to support the company scale up as it eyes future funding boosts.

The executive team hires are part of wider talent growth within the company, which has more than doubled its workforce in the past 12 months across its engineering, marketing, operations and sales functions, from 11 to 24. It has also taken new office space in Glasgow city centre.

Allan Cannon, chief executive and co-founder of R3-IoT, said: “We’re rapidly reaching the next level in our mission to digitise the planet, and these additions are the right leaders at the right time as we ramp up operations in the coming months.

“Evelyn, Dave and Sarah have proven track records of delivering significant successes across their respective fields. As we look to develop our technology, expand internationally and attract further investment, we will benefit hugely from having their experience and insight on board.

“Our purpose-designed premises also represents another big step in the company’s journey. A custom-built lab and open, inclusive layout has been set out with innovation and collaboration in mind and will not only help us build on our offering, but also continue to attract the biggest talents in the industry,” he added.

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