Board of Directors

nigel vaughan ceo
NIGEL VAUGHAN
Independent Non-Executive Chairman
NIGEL VAUGHAN
Independent Non-Executive Chairman

Nigel joined the board of Sondrel in 2011. He has 30 years of international Board level experience acting for businesses in both an executive and non-executive capacity. He has held Board level positions in businesses of varying sizes, including UK plcs and US multinationals, and he also built an early-stage business, [•], that was sold for US$100 million after 7 years.

He most recently acted as non-executive director of Quantex-Arc Limited between 2018 and 2021. In addition to founding and owning a management consulting business, Vaughan Management Solutions Limited, Nigel currently also acts as Chairman to the Global Advisory Board of the Walsn Group.

GRAHAM CURREN
Chief Executive Officer
GRAHAM CURREN
Chief Executive Officer

Graham founded Sondrel in 2002 after identifying a gap in the market for an international company specialising in complex digital IC design.

Prior to establishing Sondrel, Graham graduated in Electronic Engineering from Leeds University and worked in both ASIC design and manufacturing before joining electronic design automation (“EDA”) company, Avant! Corporation. There, he managed the technical and marketing teams across EMEA, supporting products across the whole range of IC design.

In 2010, Graham accompanied the UK prime minster at the time, David Cameron, in his business delegation to China. He also acted as a non-executive director for the China-Britain Business Council between 2011 and 2017.

 

Jose (“Joe”) Lopez
Chief Financial Officer
JOSE (“JOE”) LOPEZ
Chief Financial Officer

Joe joined Sondrel in April 2019. His career began as a Business Services Manager for Grant Thornton LLP between 1993 and 1999 where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

After leaving Grant Thornton, Joe worked in a variety of directorship roles and has over 12 years’ experience as a Chief Financial Officer, ranging from start-ups to corporate multi nationals. Prior to joining Sondrel, Joe was Finance Director of ShopperTrak Limited, a provider of data analytics aimed at helping retailers improve their in-store customer experience, between 2012 and 2017, before joining Airways Aviation Academy Limited as Chief Financial Officer for two years.

Adrian Carey
Adrian Carey
Independent Non-Executive Director
Adrian Carey
Independent Non-Executive Director

Adrian has more than 35 years of board experience across listed, AIM, private equity, venture backed and private businesses, primarily in the technology, legal and educational service sectors. Adrian acted as CEO for three companies over a 17 year period, prior to which he was a finance director, venture capitalist and Chartered Accountant. He most recently acted as Executive Chairman for AIM listed Melorio plc before being appointed as a non-executive director until it was bought by Pearson plc in June 2010.

Adrian has had significant additional non-executive experience, including acting as a non-executive director for Impellam Group and, more recently, Oxford Metrics plc, both quoted on AIM. He currently acts as a non-executive director for Blacktrace Holdings Limited.

Sherry Madera
Independent Non-Executive Director 
Sherry Madera
Independent Non-Executive Director 

Sherry is currently Mastercard’s Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy and Government Affairs. A Canadian and British national, Sherry joined Mastercard from the London Stock Exchange Group where she held the position of Chief Industry & Government Affairs Officer. She has also worked for the City of London Corporation where she was Economic Ambassador and Special Advisor to Asia, and also acted as a Minister-Counsellor at the British Embassy in Beijing, responsible for promoting trade and investment between the UK and China.

Recognised as an expert on green and sustainable finance as well as on data policy, Sherry continues to hold the role of Chair of the Future of Sustainable Data Alliance, a global alliance dedicated to working with the financial industry to use data to build a sustainable future.

Gordon Orr
Gordon Orr
Independent Non-Executive Director
Gordon Orr
Independent Non-Executive Director

Gordon currently acts as a Senior Advisor to management consultancy firm, McKinsey & Company, having previously acted as Chairman of its Asia division. Gordon also sits on the boards of Chinese multinational technology company, Lenovo Group Limited, and conglomerate, Swire Pacific Limited. In addition, he works with the CEO’s of a number of China’s globalising companies, is an advisor to Oxford University and Harvard Business School in Asia and is a Board Member of the China Britain Business Council.

Gordon spent the majority of his career at McKinsey & Company having joined in 1986. He opened McKinsey’s Beijing office in the early 1990s and led its Greater China practice for many years and McKinsey Asia between 2009 and 2014.  Gordon was on McKinsey’s global board of directors between 2003 and 2015 with responsibilities for Asia, Governance and Risk, before retiring from the firm.

Senior Management Team

Rich Silley
VP Strategic Sales
Rich Silley
VP Sales and Marketing

Rich is an accomplished executive with 14 years' experience building world class sales and marketing teams to serve customers across advanced manufacturing industries including automotive, aerospace & defence, semiconductor, and electronics.

Having spent most of his career at NI, a leader in electronic test and measurement, Rich led international teams through a major transformation to build market differentiation through the customer engagement process, ultimately enabling a transition from transactional product sales to high-value turnkey solution delivery.

A strong believer in people being an organisation’s most strategic asset, Rich cares deeply about creating an inclusive environment within which people belong and can do their best work.

A graduate of the University of Oxford’s Said Business School’s “Economics of Mutuality”, Rich is a committed to purpose driven business model innovation to create a more sustainable future for people and planet.

Hilary Rico
Global Operations Director
Hilary Rico
Global Operations Director

Hilary is an experienced Director of Business Operations with a long history of working in the semiconductors industry across China, Morocco, India and Europe, gained from working at Sondrel since 2008. She is adept at working with SMEs and within a fast-paced growing business environment. Hilary has strong skills within the selection, training and development of the staff and their wellbeing on a global scale. She is experienced at working closely with business trade organisations in these regions.

Hilary has a BA (Hons) in Business Studies from Bournemouth University.

Ed Loverseed
Head of Engineering
Ed Loverseed
Head of Engineering

Ed is an engineer by training, a leader and manager of projects by practice, and a solver of problems by choice. He has over 25 years’ experience in systems delivery and professional equipment design and is experienced in hardware, ASIC, FPGA, and embedded software design for fields as diverse as broadcast, digital video compression, IP/telecomms, and highway traffic systems.

He has a First-Class Honours Degree in Communications and Control Engineering from UMIST. Prior to Sondrel, he worked in senior roles including at Ericsson Television as Head of Hardware Design and Delivery, Clearview Traffic as Head of Engineering, and Principal Architect/Engineering Group Manager at Tandberg Television.

Gareth Jones
VP ASIC
Gareth Jones
VP ASIC

Gareth heads up Sondrel’s turnkey ASIC services. He joined from TSMC where he was director of Marketing for EMEA and he has over 25 years of experience in both ASIC and foundry services. He has global experience across EMEA, USA, Taiwan and China having spent significant time in those regions establishing and developing direct sales.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bristol.