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Circuit Components | Profile – Simon Calder
Positive
energy
Simon Calder talks to Neil Tyler about the highs and lows
of a career that has spanned small start-ups to truly
global businesses
C
ambridge is home to a host of Edinburgh University has spent most Born in Scotland his father worked opportunities while at university,
innovative companies one of
of his career looking to, as he for the Forestry Commission while gives you the feeling that it was that
which is Cambridge
describes it: “Add value to his mother came from a family of sense of failure and of regret that
Mechatronics (CML). This company
businesses” farmers. In terms of his own were to prove the key drivers behind
licenses proprietary IP for actuator
He has an impressive track record ambition and drive to succeed his subsequent career and success.
devices which are suitable for a wide
and perhaps the key to his though, he freely admits that it came “For seven months I didn’t have a
range of market applications and its
appointment and the current out of a feeling that he hadn’t made job. It was real anti-climax for me
technology has been used in
ongoing success of Cambridge the most of his time at university. and a humiliating period after
applications as varied as miniature
Mechatronics is his extensive sales “I didn’t engage with the course. I graduation. I can honestly say I made
auto-focus (AF) and zoom camera
and marketing experience. From think in those days, and we’re a solemn promise not to get myself
technology and loudspeakers for
small start ups to NASDAQ 100 talking about the early 1980s, the into that kind of position again and
audio and TV systems.
to really apply myself. I had, and still
The company has been around for
over ten years, it changed its name in
“I’m naturally competitive and when I
do have, a fear of failure.”
August 2008 from 1 Ltd to
Cambridge Mechatronics, but in
first started in sales I, like most, treated
First job
His first job was a as a salesman at a
fairness it can be said that it has only
it as you would a sport. When you’re
company called Stanley Palmer. An
recently begun to find its stride and
import-export company of an eclectic
establish itself as a leading player in
young it’s about passion. I actually don’t
range of electronic goods it was
the actuator market.
headed up by a: “George Alfred
This year has seen the company’s think it’s about that at all, it’s about
Stanley Palmer. He was certainly
charismatic. He had been a squadron
Xlinea device become the world’s
first Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Lens
building relationships.”
leader in the last war and an amateur
rally driver. We just hit it off really.
Actuator Driver Integrated Circuit to
“I’m naturally competitive and
be released for mass production and
companies he can point to an challenge was more about getting when I first started in sales I, like
Seiko Instruments has become the
impressive record of growing sales. into university. I think I got in when most, treated it as you would a sport.
first licensee.
Indeed at MMC Networks he helped I was too young to truly appreciate it. When you’re young it’s about
This step change can be attributed,
grow a start-up from nothing to “The course was very technical and passion. I actually don’t think it’s
in no small part, to the drive and annual sales of over $150m and in while I did well in my first few years
about that at all, it’s about building
vision of Simon Calder the turn saw the company bought by I lost interest. And I regret that.”
relationships. A good salesperson
company’s CEO, who was appointed Applied Micro Circuits Corp for When Calder left he found it hard should go into a meeting with a view
back in 2008. $4.5bn, what was then the second to get a job and when you talk to to finding out why you’re not doing
Calder who has a degree in largest amount ever paid for a him that, combined with a feeling business. Once you’ve addressed
electronic engineering from semiconductor company. that he didn’t make the most of his those issues, well there’s no reason
12 September 2009 Components in Electronics www.cieonline.co.uk
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