New Sales Manager

Cobham Technical Services has appointed Dr Nigel Atkinson as Sales Manager for its Vector Fields Software product lines. He will be based at Cobham's Kidlington site in Britain, and responsible for the worldwide sales of Cobham's electromagnetic design software outside of the Americas. The product range includes the company's renowned electromagnetic design, simulation and optimisation software, Opera for the simulation of a wide range of electromagnetic applications including electric machines, magnets, and charged particle beams, plus the Concerto package for antenna, RF and microwave design.

"This is an exciting time for electromagnetic simulation software providers", states Nigel Atkinson. "In addition to our traditional markets, the renewable power and automotive sectors are undergoing rapid change - with significant growth in the development of wind farms and hybrid vehicles. These are both areas where Cobham's Opera and Concerto software tools are already helping designers shorten development time significantly. With new application-specific design environments being rolled-out as part of Cobham's new software releases in applications such as transformer design, advanced finite-element analysis techniques are now available and accessible to every level of designer. I see tremendous opportunities for growth of our business internationally, particularly in a number of the key Asian economies, as well as further potential to develop our positions in established global markets".

Nigel Atkinson brings extensive knowledge of simulation software, with in-depth technical experience in finite element modelling, including software development, as well as managerial experience in support and sales functions. Prior to joining Cobham, he was a UK Account Manager for a leading engineering simulation software company.

Nigel Atkinson holds a PhD from Bath University (GB), which was awarded for research into the electromagnetic design of MRI scanners - a design field in which Cobham's Opera software is widely used.

"We are extremely pleased to have someone of Nigel's experience join our sales team", says Dr Kevin Ward, Head of Cobham's Vector Fields Software business in Kidlington. "We believe that his technical background in finite element modelling, combined with his commercial knowledge of our potential customer base, will help us broaden our reach significantly."