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4th July 2008

Cambridge Consultants’ Technology Scholar
wins Innovation award

Tech Scholar’s work on internet radio lands him prestigious prize

• Budding young engineer’s work on innovative internet radio recognised for Contribution to Business Award

Cambridge Consultants is proud to announce the recent success of Technology Scholar Andrew Newbold in the Eastern Regional Final of The Year in Industry’s Contribution to Business Award 2008.

The ceremony, hosted by Andrew Herbert, MD of Microsoft Research Cambridge on 18th June 2008, and presided over by John Hill, CEO of PERA, saw Andrew pitted against other young engineers and scientists from around the region.  His presentation on the part he played in the development of the Iona Cube, Cambridge Consultants’ low-cost Wi-Fi enabled internet radio, won him the Innovation category award, and placed him as runner up overall.

Derek Wallis, Group Leader for Electromechanical Product Development at Cambridge Consultants and Andrew’s line manager was the first to congratulate him.  “This fantastic achievement is thoroughly deserved.  Andrew has been an exemplary tech scholar here and his work on Iona, as well as other projects, has been of great value to the company.  His presentation to the panel of judges allowed Andrew to demonstrate both his confidence and his understanding of the projects he’s worked on, and that can only have impressed them all.  He has a great future ahead of him.”

“It was a great evening, and I am delighted to have been selected for these awards,” said Andrew.  “Cambridge Consultants has given me opportunities and experiences that I cannot have found elsewhere.  Their support and guidance has helped me to clearly define what direction I want my future career to take, and I’m sure I’ll get more out of my forthcoming degree as a result.  I’ve really felt part of the team here, and am thrilled to have played a part in the development of some exciting technologies.”

Cambridge Consultants’ Technology Scholarship programme, which began in 1989, recently recruited its 100th young engineer.  Jane Newrick, who runs the Technology Scholar programme at Cambridge Consultants, adds: "We recruit a minimum of four tech scholars a year, and have taken on nine during the 2007/8 academic year.  The scheme, run in collaboration with The Year in Industry, provides promising student engineers and scientists with a real taste of modern engineering in a commercial setting.  The experience of hands-on, real project work in a highly supportive environment enables these young people to develop the technical and commercial awareness they need to fast track their careers.  It emphasises the importance of commercial success and encourages innovative thinking, something that Andrew is evidently not short of."

Andrew, a keen pilot, plans to use his prize money to fund some airborne adventures before starting an Engineering Degree at the University of Cambridge in October. 

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The Year In Industry is the largest gap year placement provider in the UK.  It is a not-for-profit organisation working throughout the UK to provide companies with early access to talented potential graduate recruits.  Hundreds of companies, from SMEs to global organisations have already taken advantage of this unique scheme.  YINI specialises in work placements in all aspects of engineering, science, IT and Computing, and business.  For more information, visit http://www.yini.org.uk

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