As Ignitec continues to grow, we’re strengthening the way we organise our engineering expertise, develop our people and deliver increasingly complex projects for our clients. At the heart of this next stage is a commitment to bringing the right engineering capabilities together from the very beginning of every project.
We’re pleased to announce the promotions of Ben Lippold and James Damrel, who will lead our newly formed multidisciplinary engineering teams, Team Apollo and Team Artemis.
Ben will take responsibility for Team Apollo, while James will lead Team Artemis. Their appointments follow the recent promotion of Greg Guyll to Engineering Manager and represent another important step in building a scalable engineering organisation focused on technical excellence, clear accountability and consistently delivering an exceptional client experience.
Both Ben and James bring strong technical knowledge, a practical understanding of engineering challenges and a commitment to delivering high-quality solutions. Their new roles will see them take greater ownership of project delivery, engineering coordination, team development and the day-to-day leadership of their respective teams.
Bringing engineering expertise together from day one
One of the biggest challenges in developing complex products is making sure the right expertise is available at the right time. Electronics, embedded firmware and mechanical engineering rarely operate in isolation. Decisions made within one discipline often have significant implications for another, particularly when developing sophisticated connected products and systems.
Traditionally, product development can involve different engineering specialists joining projects at various stages. While this approach can work, it can also introduce unnecessary handovers, delays and challenges around communication and technical integration.
At Ignitec, we’re building a more integrated approach. Team Apollo and Team Artemis each bring together electronic design, embedded firmware and mechanical design capabilities within a dedicated multidisciplinary engineering team.
This means our clients benefit from a coordinated team with the breadth of expertise needed to consider the complete product from the outset. Rather than treating engineering disciplines as separate activities, our teams work collaboratively from initial client onboarding and requirements definition through design, prototyping, testing, validation and final delivery.
The objective is simple: give every client project the right combination of engineering expertise, clear ownership and continuity from day one through to completion.
Developing our engineering leaders
Ben Lippold, Team Lead, Apollo
Ben brings extensive embedded engineering expertise, technical knowledge and a practical understanding of the challenges involved in developing connected products and systems. His experience and collaborative approach make him well placed to lead one of our new multidisciplinary engineering teams.
As Team Lead for Apollo, Ben will coordinate engineering activities across disciplines, support the development of his colleagues and ensure projects progress effectively through their key milestones. His role combines technical leadership with delivery management, helping the team maintain a clear focus on client requirements, quality, budgets and timescales.
James Damrel, Team Lead, Artemis
James brings strong electronics engineering experience and a commitment to delivering effective, well-considered technical solutions. He has contributed to a range of engineering projects and understands the importance of collaboration, technical rigour and maintaining a clear focus on the client’s objectives.
Leading Team Artemis, James will coordinate multidisciplinary engineering activities, support technical decision-making and develop the capabilities of the engineers working alongside him. A key part of his responsibility will be ensuring that projects maintain momentum, technical challenges are identified early and the team works together to deliver against client expectations.
Both team leaders will work closely with Greg Guyll, who oversees the wider engineering function, resource allocation and coordination of project delivery. This structure creates clearer responsibility within individual teams while maintaining strong technical oversight, shared engineering standards and collaboration across Ignitec.
“As Ignitec grows, it’s important that our organisational structure grows with us. Our clients don’t simply need individual engineering disciplines. They need a coordinated team that understands their challenges, takes ownership and has the expertise to deliver.
“By establishing Team Apollo and Team Artemis, we’re bringing those capabilities together from the outset, improving communication, accountability and continuity throughout the project lifecycle.
“Ben and James have demonstrated the technical capability and commitment needed to take on these leadership roles. Their promotions are an important part of developing our people and building the engineering organisation we want Ignitec to become.”
Craig Surgey
Managing Director
What this means for our clients
The introduction of Team Apollo and Team Artemis is about much more than changing our internal reporting structure. It’s about creating a more joined-up, responsive and accountable engineering experience for our clients.
By bringing complementary engineering capabilities together within focused teams, we aim to improve how projects are planned, coordinated and delivered.
Expertise from the outset. Electronics, firmware and mechanical requirements can be considered together from the earliest stages, reducing the risk of design decisions being made without understanding their wider technical implications.
Greater continuity and accountability. Dedicated teams develop a shared understanding of the client’s requirements and commercial objectives, carrying that knowledge throughout the development lifecycle. Clear team leadership also ensures responsibility for coordinating delivery remains visible.
Earlier identification of risks. Close collaboration between disciplines helps identify technical dependencies, integration challenges and resource constraints before they become significant obstacles to delivery.
More efficient and predictable delivery. Better communication, coordinated planning and regular milestone reviews help reduce unnecessary handovers, improve resource utilisation and strengthen control of project budgets and timescales.
For our clients, this means working with a coordinated engineering team that understands not only the technical specification but also the wider business challenge behind the project. Our ambition is to ensure clients have confidence that their engineering partner understands the complete picture, communicates effectively and remains focused on achieving the right outcome.
Creating opportunities for our people
The new structure also provides an important foundation for developing our people and supporting future growth. As our projects become more sophisticated and our client base expands, developing capable leaders within the engineering function is essential.
Promoting Ben and James recognises their technical contributions while creating opportunities for them to develop their leadership, mentoring and project management capabilities.
For the wider engineering team, working within multidisciplinary groups encourages greater collaboration, shared problem-solving and opportunities to learn from colleagues across different disciplines. It creates a working environment where engineers can take ownership, broaden their knowledge and develop their careers while contributing to increasingly ambitious projects.
Importantly, it also gives Ignitec a repeatable structure for growth. As the business expands, we can build on these teams, strengthen specialist capabilities and maintain the levels of personal ownership, responsiveness and technical quality that our clients expect.
Building the next chapter of Ignitec
The appointment of Ben and James, alongside Greg’s recent promotion to Engineering Manager, represents another significant milestone in Ignitec’s development.
We’re building an engineering organisation that combines deep technical expertise with strong leadership, effective collaboration and a consistent approach to client delivery. Our ambition is to become a world-class engineering business recognised not only for the solutions we develop but also for the experience we provide to the clients who trust us with their projects.
The introduction of Team Apollo and Team Artemis helps turn that ambition into a practical, scalable way of working, bringing the people, capabilities and accountability needed to deliver complex engineering programmes together under one coordinated structure.
The whole team would like to congratulate Ben and James on their well-deserved promotions and wish them every success in their new roles. We’re excited to see them develop their teams, strengthen our engineering delivery and help shape the next chapter of Ignitec’s growth.
At Ignitec, we specialise in connected systems for critical industries, bringing together electronics, embedded software and mechanical engineering to develop products for demanding, regulated and hazardous environments.
If you have a complex product challenge or need additional engineering expertise to move a project forward, get in touch with our team.