Who we are
Here is your chance to get to know us a little better, and to put faces to the voices at the end of the phone. Even though every project has a Project Manager who is your primary point of contact for the life-cycle of our engagement with you, there are also a few others you may stumble across during your time with us.
Ian Willats
Ian is, alongside John, the other founder director of Pebble Bay and is also expert in developing software at the software/hardware interface. He has a very strong grasp of technical issues and the engineering processes which are involved with developing embedded foundation software. Ian also has extremely strong skills in project management, training and mentoring. As such he tends to be the one who runs training courses and carries out the “pure” consultancy work. He is also responsible for the day-to-day running of the place, and making sure everyone is on their respective missions.
He has been interested in electronics since his school days, and has been known even now to pick up a soldering iron. His interest in microprocessors started during his chemical engineering degree, which led him into the world of PDP11s where he nearly mastered being able to read programs by holding paper tape to the light, but just managed to move on just in time! He has also worked with and for Real Time Products (RTP) and Wind River, where he ran the UK Services Team.
In the future, Ian hopes to be able to help the company grow, and as it experiences this growth to be able to step away from nitty-gritty software development and focus on the consultancy, training and internal team management. “I want Pebble Bay to keep its unique character and atmosphere as it grows – being flexible and easy to work with are both key parts of life at Pebble Bay, and long may that continue!”
Back in the real world, Ian plays both bass and classical guitar and claims his musical taste ranges from Arvo Part to ZZ Top via Gang of Four and Messiaen! He is also a keen cook, and is still searching for the perfect seafood risotto recipe – all suggestions welcome!
John Efstathiades
John, along with Ian, is one of the founder directors of Pebble Bay, and has over 20 years experience in real-time embedded software development. He has focussed on a range of areas, but particularly operating systems, board support packages, device drivers and protocol stacks. He has also had experience designing multi-tasking applications, as well as working with telecomms switches and concentrators. “One of my proudest achievements was designing and implementing a highly optimised USB protocol stack for use in a Formula 1 car”.
In his past, John has worked as a consultant and developer for Wind River and Real Time Products. This has seen him buried deep in most major 32-bit processor families in all manner of systems, from battlefield RADAR to hand-held devices, and everything in between. As these roles took him to customers across Europe, he has brought chocolate home from every major hub airport!
Once allowed out of the office, John leaves his computer behind as much as possible and tries to remind himself what the real world looks like! He will often blow the cobwebs away with either cycling or walking, and more recently, sailing. He claims he has to stay active due to his love of good food, including an old family tradition of Cyprus Souvla which his father taught him to make, and he is really looking forward to passing that on to his own son.
Steve Langstaff
Steve has been designing and developing software for more years than he cares to admit to, although we did some sums and came up with over 20! In this time he has worked in numerous technical areas, in both the device driver and application areas. Whilst at Pebble Bay his work has included debug and optimisation of DTV products and device driver development for Linux, LynxOS and VxWorks targets for a variety of technologies.
Prior to Pebble Bay, Steve worked for Citel Technologies, where he was part of their engineering team developing a range of devices allowing various digital telephone types, to connect to IP PBXs, using SIP and proprietary signaling protocols. He also worked at Ericsson where he was involved with developing data communication products using numerous different technologies.
It comes as no surprise that Steve holds a BEng (Hons) in Electronic Computer Systems, which he obtained in Salford. He hopes that the future will allow him to continue producing high quality embedded software across a broad range of new and existing technologies, especially as the business continues to grow.
When he is not working, Steve has two children who he is often heard nagging to get their shoes on. He also enjoys cooking, skiing and just occasionally the odd glass or two of cider.
Tanya Wrycraft
Tanya has only been with Pebble Bay since the end of the summer, but she has quickly become part of the furniture. She looks after the Business Development and Marketing side of the business, which sees her doing a range of tasks, from executing marketing campaigns and growing the pipeline, to making sure everyone recycles properly and has the correct email signature.
She first fell into IT sales and marketing quite by accident in 2003 and has been there ever since. Her background includes implementing B2B marketing campaigns for some of the top 5 IT vendors, and is an expert in lead generation techniques. She holds the Institute of Direct Marketing Diploma in Direct and Interactive Marketing which has given her a much broader understanding of how to manage a complete marketing strategy. Tanya can quickly spot the potential in any message and apply that to a mixture of communication techniques to ensure her message gets out there quickly and effectively.
Her hands-on approach and can-do attitude has seen her arrive at Pebble Bay with a bang! It is still very much early days, but she has big plans. “I want us to be able to really expand our presence in the embedded software field, and become preferred partners and consultants for all our customers. The opportunity which Pebble Bay has given me not only to take the business on to the next level, but also to push myself onto higher levels is absolutely fantastic. It’s an exciting time for all of us, so watch this space!”
Once she is out of the office, she has two young sons who keep her busy, but who also give her the excuse to be a big kid and do things like play on swings and run round a park with a ball. When she is not being kept entertained with them, you will find her relaxing with friends over a cold glass of wine and dinner, or scouring car boot sales for that ever-elusive fortune-making bargain!
We also have a pool of long-trusted and known contractors, each with their own specialities and areas of expertise. We call on them on an as-needed basis to ensure we deliver on time, on budget and to the highest spec possible.
To find out more, do get in touch here.