Profile
Lead engineer specialising in embedded software delivering firmware for ARM Cortex microcontrollers and real-time systems. I've worked on diverse projects from mobile phones at Nokia to IoT devices for fintech applications, always focusing on creating reliable, efficient embedded solutions. My expertise spans the complete development cycle - from working with hardware teams on initial design through to deploying and maintaining production systems in the field along with full stack integration for observability. I'm particularly skilled at building robust CI/CD pipelines for embedded projects and applying test-driven development practices utilising source control hooks to create firmware that's both reliable and maintainable.
Professional Experience
SENIOR FIRMWARE ENGINEER III
M-KOPA
United Kingdom, Kenya · Remote
M-KOPA provides affordable smartphones and digital financial services to underserved customers across Africa. M-KOPA pioneered an innovative pay-as-you-go financing model that combines mobile payments with GSM enabled technology, allowing customers to make affordable daily payments and has now served 6+ million customers. The company has received numerous accolades, including being listed in TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies in 2023 and 2024, and appearing in the Financial Times' "Africa's Fastest Growing Companies" rankings for three consecutive years.
What I do:
- Flexible knowledge worker, integrating across teams in different countries and timezones, in person and remote
- Design and develop embedded firmware for ARM Cortex-M devices, focusing on real-time performance, power-efficiency and reliability
- Build secure communication systems and over-the-air update mechanisms for devices deployed in remote locations
- Integrate IoT device data into backend and full stack applications to support sales and credit functions
- Work closely with hardware teams throughout the development process, from initial PCB requirements to final testing and manufacturing
- Set source control policy with deployment pipelines to ensure code quality is maintained
- Create troubleshooting workflows and automated testing systems that keep projects on track
- Leverage a wide range of hardware debugging tools (JTAG, Oscilloscopes, Logic Analysers, Power Monitoring) to ensure firmware and hardware work together in harmony
Embedded C/C++
Source Control (Git)
Software quality (SonarCube, MISRA C, ISO 26262)
ARM Cortex-M
Real-time Systems
Azure DevOps
Observability
Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
Recent Project: Connected battery monitoring system for 72V packs in Kenya (Jun 2022 - May 2025)
- Lead firmware developer for a distributed team working on ARM Cortex-M0 based battery management system
- Built CAN bus communication systems for monitoring and power management
- Developed wireless communication using GSM modules, creating custom AT command interfaces for reliable connectivity
- Implemented real-time battery management algorithms including accurate state-of-charge estimation and thermal protection
- Architected a verifiable full life cycle battery health passport for fault prediction facilitating safe buy-back schemes and second life use
- Created robust bootloader and over-the-air update systems for devices operating in challenging field conditions
- Set up comprehensive testing including unit tests, integration tests and hardware-in-the-loop validation
ARM Cortex-M0
CAN Bus
GSM/LTE
Battery Management
Real-time Systems
OTA Updates
SOFTWARE ENGINEER
tvONE Ltd.
Maidenhead
Worked on embedded systems for professional video processing equipment, focusing on low-latency performance and real-time video handling.
- Developed firmware for ARM controller module managing FPGA video processing systems where timing was critical
- Built a custom TCP/IP stack and HTTP server so customers could configure devices through a web interface
- Implemented various communication interfaces including RS-232, USB, and Ethernet
- Integration of embedded Linux based video source into video wall processor
ARM7TDMI
ThreadX
TCP/IP Stack
Real-time Processing
Video Algorithms
Embedded Linux (Yocto, Arch)
Project: tvONE ISE 2015 Gesture Wall (Jan 2015 - Feb 2015)
- Created an interactive video wall demo that responded to user gestures
- Developed PC-based gesture recognition algorithms
- Built communication protocols to coordinate multiple embedded devices working together based on gestures
SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Nokia Mobile Phones
Farnborough, Hampshire, UK
Spent 8+ years developing embedded software for Nokia's S40 mobile phone platform, with over a billion devices shipped worldwide.
- Developed embedded applications in object oriented C for ARM-based mobile phone processors
- Led the architecture and implementation of the phonebook application, optimizing it for devices with very limited memory
- Pioneered code quality and style guides around graphical programming tools used for application development at Nokia including training and mentoring peers
- Worked extensively with real-time operating systems and interrupt-driven programming for responsive user interfaces
- Implemented device drivers for flash memory, display controllers, and keypad interfaces
- Constantly optimized code for power consumption and memory usage
ARM Processors
RTOS
Device Drivers
Memory Optimization
Power Management
SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Teleca
- Worked as a contractor for Nokia UK, developing embedded UI applications for their S40 mobile phone platform
- Built user interfaces and keypad input handling using embedded C
- Gained experience with memory-mapped I/O and hardware abstraction layers for mobile device peripherals
Technical Skills
Programming
C/C++, Real-time Programming, Build systems (cmake, cross compilation toolchains), Python, C#, PySpark
Firmware updates
Secure bootloader, Over-the-air, Firmware integrity
Microcontrollers
ARM Cortex-M Series, STM32, Nordic nRF Series
Communication
CAN Bus, I2C, SPI, UART, USB, TCP/IP, GSM/LTE AT Commands, IoT protocols
Development Tools, software and hardware
KIEL MDK, IAR EWARM, STM32CubeIDE, JTAG/SWD Debugging, Oscilloscopes, Logic Analysers, Power Monitoring
Embedded Operating Systems
FreeRTOS, ARM Mbed OS, ThreadX
Testing & CI/CD
Unit Testing (Unity/CMock), Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing, Azure DevOps
Hardware
PCB Design Collaboration, Schematic review
Standards
ISO 26262 (Functional Safety), MISRA C, IEC 61508
What I Bring to Projects
System Architecture
I design embedded systems that are both power-efficient and reliable in real-world conditions
Hardware Collaboration
Adept at working closely with hardware engineers from initial concept, schematic review through to production testing
Full stack IoT integration
Building observability of device reliability and usage with fleet wide aggregation through data analytics and creating information rich dashboards
Battery Systems
Deep experience with battery management including state-of-charge estimation and thermal protection
Wireless Integration
Proven track record integrating GSM/LTE, WiFi, and Bluetooth into embedded products
Safety-Critical Development
Experience following automotive and industrial safety standards for critical applications
Education
University of Surrey
2.2, Computer aided chemistry
1993 - 1997
Patents
SCROLLBAR
US 20100333016 · Filed Jun 30, 2009
A method for changing the scrolling granularity of a scrollbar to allow easier navigation of long files. Especially applicable to devices where the input method is limited.
Courses
Clean Code Master Class
M-KOPA
New World Leadership by Change Innovators
M-KOPA
Scrum master
Nokia Mobile Phones
Coaching for success
Nokia Mobile Phones
Developing Linux device drivers
EL-504, Nokia Mobile Phones
Developing for embedded Linux
EL-503, Nokia Mobile Phones
Kepner-Tregoe problem solving
Nokia Mobile Phones
STM32 Security
M-KOPA