Candidate statements
Andy Mace, M0MUX
Curriculum Vitae:
Currently employed by Sky as a Senior Platform System Engineer for the past 8 years where I lead support for Sky’s compression and multiplexing for Sky’s 21 Astra 28.2 transponders, including generation of all metadata consumed by the set top box. I have been the lead delivery engineer on various Sky projects including Adsmart, the Sky Q box roll-out and working with third-party suppliers on hardware refresh projects. Before Sky, I was at the BBC for 6 years, building the Interactive Press-Red Button services. Previous to this I worked in the Events and Entertainment Industry as an IT Consultant.
Personal Statement:
I have been passionate about radio since the age of 11 after discovering a number of stations on shortwave when my family were living in Cyprus whilst my Dad was in the Armed Forces. Whilst we were based in Episkopi, I joined the Air Cadets which gave me an introduction to HF. I soon worked my first ever QSO using ZC4ATC! Since leaving school, I found a club where I could train at and have used the knowledge I have gained throughout my professional career ever since. I gained my licence at the age of 20, after discovering amateur radio. I went away from the hobby for 9-10 years and through the encouragement of work colleagues, I have been contesting for the last 5 years, and have built up a Facebook group of over 1,400 members of like-minded UK amateurs in the sport. While I understand Contesting is not everyone’s cup of tea there is room for everyone in this hobby! I’m hoping you can vote for me as a one of the younger candidates at 36! Amongst other things, this role will enable me to use my passion and experience to encourage new, younger members to join the Society to drive forward its ambitions. In particular, I would be keen to participate in RSGB’s STEM outreach programme. If I can persuade children to put away their iPads and laptop computer and spark a passion for understanding how things work, then I’ll feel I have succeeded in the role.
Nominators:
M0TCH, G0OJY, M0JSX, G1YBB, G4LOH, G0KAD, G0VIQ, G4FAT, M0TNY, 2E0IJH.
Leonard John Paget, GM0ONX/GM6JIC
Curriculum Vitae:
I am a retired Lighting Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Lighting Professionals. I am currently the RSGB’s Company Secretary and have also held the posts of Deputy Regional Manager, Regional Manager, Planning Advisory Committee Chair and RSGB Director in the past. I play and active part in my local club being its secretary, exam secretary, trainer and Trustee as it is a registered charity. My main radio interests are homebrew construction, HF and VHF ‘ragchewing’ and am a lazy DXer, I’ll take it if it’s going. I also take part in the occasional club contest.
Personal Statement:
I have been a ‘serial volunteer’ for the RSGB since 2003 having held the posts of Deputy Regional Manager, Regional Manager and Planning Advisory Committee Chair. In 2013 and 2016 I was elected to the Board and during my term of office I overseen the re-unification of RAYNET, updating the RSGB Planning Guide and the reorganisation of the Regional Team. I was also Board link for Training and Education Committee, the Legacy Committee and held the ‘Diversity’ brief as part of Strategy 2022. In April 2019 I was appointed the Company Secretary and agreed to hold this post until after the 2020 AGM. 2019 has been an unsettled time for the Board with 3 Directors standing down with a short time. Being a Director is a big call on your time and requires commitment, but it can also be very rewarding and enjoyable. I am fortunate to have made many friends and colleagues throughout the UK and Northern Ireland during my period as a RSGB volunteer. I am extremely grateful that many of them have expressed their confidence in me by agreed to nominate me for office. I believe to be truly effective the Board should be a mix of newer Directors with fresh ideas and experienced Directors who have knowledge of previous Board decisions to prevent revisiting unproductive cul-de-sacs. I believe I have these skills and knowledge to be an effective Director and ask for your support in running for office.
Nominators: M0ITI, G1GQJ, GM4AUP, GM3SEK, GW0AWA, GM1XEA, GM3YTS, MI0MSO, GI4BWM, GM1BAN.
John Louis Spurgeon, G4LKD
Curriculum Vitae:
I’m a customer solutions architect for Fujitsu having worked in the IT sector since the 1980’s. Previously I worked at Marconi’s in Chelmsford. I’m also an active councillor for my local parish council. I have been involved in amateur radio since the 1970’s and during this time, I have been involved in local clubs including Colchester Radio Amateurs; holding posts of secretary and treasurer as well as helping with the training of the RAE. Later I moved to Yorkshire where I joined the Sheffield ARC and later S&DWS and concurrently the Goole Radio and Electrics Society.
Personal Statement:
I have been interested in radio since the late 1960’s during my school years as a member of my school radio club. I joined the Colchester Radio Amateur club during my time at the local polytechnic and took my RAE in March 1972 and became G8GIC. I passed my Morse code test in 1981 and became G4LKD. As a local parish councillor, I work to improve the services and amenities for my constituents and within the amateur radio community, I have been involved in local clubs at management level to introduce new initiatives to improve accessibility of amateur radio to the local community. This involved running special events and training sessions as well as the annual radio rally which we orientated towards families to promote inclusivity within the hobby. During the 90’s I was involved in the local Scouts movement as a leader where we introduced scouts to radio through the communicator badge. I’m a keen contester and operate in both VHF/UHF and HF special events. Amateur radio is a very rich diverse hobby with many different aspects from local repeater chat, to propagation analysis, antenna design, homebrew, contesting and data modes, and with a smart approach we can build a network of support to take the hobby into the 21st century. If elected I will dedicate my time to improving the promotion of the hobby, encouraging a closer partnership between the RSGB and local clubs by developing initiatives to help promote and support new amateurs onto the bands.
Nominators: G3PHO, G4DBN, G8EOP, G8BUN, G0VRM, G4GNP, G6YYN, G4ZDY, G6XOU, G1IPU.
Philip Willis, M0PHI
Curriculum Vitae:
Member Trowbridge ARC, RSGB City of Bristol Group, Wessex Contest Group. TEC Chair 2014-2016. Board Director 2017-2020. Reorganised TEC into project teams. Organised Convention talks in 2016 and 2017. Created the RSGB Equalities policy, a Disabilities/Accessibility team and Schools Link. As a Nominated Director I have ensured that each Director leads a Strategy 2020 responsibility (mine is Organisation). With the Board’s active support I developed the new Team structure, making it simpler for our committees to work for our Members; and I have ensured that our key policies are up to date to make the RSGB more accountable to Members.
Personal Statement:
I am the Board member responsible for our Representation Team, including Spectrum and EMC matters. With my support and encouragement the EMC committee is ramping up its activities in identifying interference, in challenging Ofcom increasingly robustly and in being increasingly active within the IARU and beyond, supporting and defending the amateur spectrum worldwide. I also support our Spectrum Forum activities, with recent major successes from WRC-19, including: the new Region-1 50MHz regulations, securing small satellite downlinks against commercial incursion and the avoidance of adverse regulation on 23cms. It has been a pleasure to see so many volunteers contributing so much in these areas. To complement the new volunteer Teams, the Board has accepted my proposal to review in the near future the operation of headquarters, to ensure that it is well-positioned to deliver the needs of the Board, of the new VLT structure and of the Members generally. I want people to be enthused by what radio can do, whether as a hobby or in their careers, whether actively involved or as an interested spectator. We need an RSGB that is flexible, inclusive and supportive, in practice as well as in aspiration; one that continues to develop support for Members and one that is adaptable to new needs. We now have an innovative team of Directors, keen to modernise the RSGB and ensure we have a future. I am standing for election because I want to continue to be part of that, both as a Director and as an amateur.
Nominators: G6JYB, G3YXO, G4YXS, M0IBG, G3TKF, M0TRK, G0FUW, G4NBG, GM0ONX, M0IMS.
Stewart Bryant – personal statement for Nominated Board Director
I joined the Board of the RSGB as a Nominated Director in 2013, and continued as an Elected Director until April 2019. During this time, I was the Board Liaison Member responsible for Contesting, ETCC (repeaters and gateways), ARDF, Trophies and the RadCom technical review panel. I helped the RSGB Contest Committee through some difficult times; they have now split into three committees that run one of the best contest programmes in the world. Recognising the educational and commercial importance of publications to the RSGB, I also served as Publications and Merchandise Committee Chair. In this role, I worked to ensure that RadCom Basics returned to publication and we continued to publish RadCom Plus despite a number of difficulties. Whilst the RSGB does a great many things of importance, the committees I helped are core to what many members regard as amateur radio. I was greatly helped in overseeing these areas by the excellent committee chairs that I was fortunate to have in place. I retired from the Board after six years in 2019, volunteering to help the RSGB in minor activities. However, following a number of resignations from the Board in 2019, the Board requested that I return as an adviser to take joint responsibility for the newly-formed Operating Team which is largely an expanded version of my old portfolio. I now put myself forward for the position of Nominated Director to continue my work with both the Operating Team and with publications. These areas are critical to the RSGB, and I hope that members will support my continuing helping to deliver these member services.
