Chris McArdle
Dr Christopher McArdle PhD MBA BSc(hons) MAE QDR FCIArb MIOD FIET CEng
Summary
Chris is a successful Chartered Engineer, Project Manager and Company Director. He has over 30 years’ experience of electrical, electronic, micro-electronic and software design.
He is an acknowledged expert in all aspects of high volume product manufacture (contracts, industrial design, materials, design methods, testing, distribution, and outsourcing). He has extensive experience of forensic engineering of software, electronic & electrical systems. He has experience of the management of high-value, multi-disciplinary, international technical projects, forming and directing international joint-venture companies and experience of Far-East high-volume electronic manufacturing and outsourcing.
He is qualified and extensively experienced as an Expert Witness in the UK, Europe and USA and is a qualified and experienced International Arbitrator and Mediator. In short, he has a unique combination of high-level business, technical and dispute resolution skills.
Education
Bachelor of Science, BSc (hons). Computer Engineering.
Master Degree in Business Administration, MBA.
Doctor of Philosophy, PhD. Microelectronics.
Diploma in Arbitration. Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Arbitration Pupillage. Worshipful Company of Arbitrators Pupillage Scheme.
Professional Qualifications
Engineering & Business
· Chartered Engineer
· Fellow of The Institution of Electrical Engineering Technology (formerly IEE)
· IET President’s List, (Arbitration, Mediation, Expert Witness)
· Member of Institute of Directors
· Freeman of The City of London
Legal
· Chairman of The Academy of Experts
· Qualified Commercial Mediator (QDR)
· Fellow of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
· CIArb Presidential Panel (Mediation)
· British Marine Federation. Accredited Mediator
· Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Arbitrators
· Member of London Court of International Arbitration
Pro-bono Activity
He is a past Chairman of the Academy of Experts and also manages the Pupillage Scheme of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators. His other recent pro-bono activity includes: Member of the Electronics Leadership Council and Electronics Innovation and Growth Teams (Government Advisors on the UK Electronics Industry), Member of the IET Information Technology Sector Panel, Chair of TechUK Electronic Design and Innovation Group, Member of Semiconductor Businesses Association Executive Committee, Executive Committee Member of Asia Pacific Electronics Businesses Association and Pacific Rim Electronic Businesses Association.
Professional Experience
1999 – date
Innotec Ltd. Technology & Business Consultancy
Great Sampford, Essex. Managing Director
In 1999 Chris formed Innotec and became its Managing Director. Innotec has become a major force in the provision of consulting services in electronic technologies and business.
His assignments have included Joint-venture Formation, Corporate Restructuring, ADR and Expert Witness, Forensic Engineering, Design Trouble-Shooting, Business Development, Manufacturing Evaluation, Product Evaluation, Intellectual Property Appraisal, Major Project Management, Due Diligence and Government Technology-Promotion assignments throughout the world. Further details may be found at www.innotec-uk.com.
Major clients include Samsung, Hynix, Nanya, Micron, Marconi, BBC, BT, Pace, QinetiQ, NG Transco, Cyan, LG, TWI, SEI, UK Broadband, Patientline, Crown Prosecution Service, DTI (BERR), UK Foreign Office, Invest NI, Yorkshire Forward, Aberdeen Asset Management, MTI Managers, and many of the leading law firms in the UK, USA and Far East including Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Weil Gotshal & Manges, DLA Piper, O’Melveny & Myers, Slaughter & May, Eversheds, Orrick and Simmons & Simmons.A case list for his dispute resolution assignments may be found at the end of this document
Plextek Ltd. Electronic Product Design Consultancy
Great Chesterford, Essex. Director of Digital Engineering
Unico Communications Sdn Bhd. Telecoms & RF Equipment Manufacturer
Penang, Malaysia. Technical Director
During his employment with Plextek Chris held two directorships.
Plextek specialises in the development of electronic equipment and software. It counts among its clients such blue-chip companies as Hewlett Packard, NTT, Olivetti, LSI Logic, Rockwell, Fujitsu, Nortel, BT, Tracker and GPS and government departments such as The Home Office and the Department of Trade and Industry. As Director of Digital Engineering at Plextek, Chris was key in the strategic development of the company and its profitable growth from the six people that it was when he joined to the 90 that it was when he left. In addition to corporate management responsibilities, he was responsible for the establishment and growth of the ASIC, Digital Design and Digital Signal Processing specialties within the company and was responsible for the technical, line and commercial management of the Digital Engineering Group.
Chris was one of a two-man team from Plextek who negotiated and set-up Unico Communications Sdn Bhd. This was a joint-venture company of Plextek and Unico Technology, a high-volume manufacturer based in Penang, Malaysia. The joint-venture agreement was signed in the presence of the Malaysian Prime Minister. Chris was appointed Technical Director of the new company which went on to develop and introduce to manufacture a wide range of high-volume, domestic telecommunications products and continued to develop and introduce a number of OEM products in the automotive, industrial and consumer markets.
1983 -1990
McDonnell Douglas Computer Systems. Computer Manufacturer
Hemel Hempstead, Herts. Design Engineer to Project/Group Manager.
During his time at MDCS, Chris worked on the design of a range of high-performance digital products, CPUs (discrete and integrated), computer network and peripheral controllers and complete computer systems. He was responsible for the introduction of ASIC technology to MDCS. He recruited and managed the ASIC development team and was responsible for the purchase of CAE equipment and commercial negotiations for the supply of silicon. The team completed a large number of high-performance, large ASIC designs, and had an unbroken record of ‘right first time’ design. Chris also led a software development group responsible for the development of diagnostic software and controller firmware.
He project managed large multi-disciplinary international projects and was responsible for all aspects of those projects from development to introduction to manufacture in both the UK and USA. He was also involved in system integration projects using those computers in distributed business applications.
1980-1983
Honeywell Information Systems. Computer Manufacturer
Hemel Hempstead, Herts. Design Engineer.
At Honeywell, Chris designed digital communications and network equipment for the DPS6 range of computers which were used in resilient data processing and industrial control applications. This involved design with microprocessors, discrete logic and fibre-optic components. He also wrote diagnostic and driver software.
Chris was later involved in the installation and commissioning of the first resilient fibre optic link at its customer site (a police command and control system). This involved system design and integration, customer training and the training of support and commissioning engineers.
He was also responsible in the design of communications product for use in power station control and monitoring systems.
For a full Case-List pease download Chris McArdle's CV using the button under his photograph, top left.