Ian Torrilla
My career spans over 32 years post Honours Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering certified on the 4th July 1990 my 25th Birthday. I was coding from age 15 and building electronic projects since the age of 8. A geek with a social life I would like to think.
Professional (also see past projects below)
Director of Operations - Gibraltar Football Association - 2020-present
Technology Consultant New Build Westside & Bayside Schools - 2019-2020
Founder - n-gineering.tech - 2018
Associate Director - Netgear Ltd - Gibraltar 2017-2018
Founder CEO - n-wss ICT Ltd - technology services business - Gibraltar 2001-2017
Project Manager and Systems Integration Manager - Simoco Digital Systems - Derby/Cambridge 1996-2001
Product Development Manager - Mobicom Ltd - Derby 1994-1996
Software Developer (C/C++) including team leader -Mobicom Ltd - Derby 1992-1994
Digital Signal Processing programmer - Mobicom Ltd - Derby 1991 - 1992
Other Posts Held
Executive member of GANT (Gibraltar Association of New Technologies) - 2019 to 2021
Vice President Gibraltar Football Association - 2017 - 2021
General Secretary Europa FC (semi professional football club) - 2013 to 2016
Government Small Business Board - 2011 to 2017
EU Funding advisory Board - 2008 to 2015
Government E-commerce advisory council - 2006 to 2010
Young Enterprise Scheme Gibraltar Board for 6 years, Business Development Officer since 2014
GFSB Board including 2 years Vice Chairman - 2002 to 2015
Roles & Achievements
Development Manager YE Gibraltar Scheme programs and events (2014-present)
Achieving and maintaining ISO 9001 Accreditation for 10 years for n-wss - 2007 to 2017
Implementation of TeTRA digital system for Gibraltar emergency services - 2000-2001
TeTRA Digital Technology development team Simoco Cambridge - 1999-2000
Project Manage British Columbia Hydro comms system upgrade - 1998
Engineering and Software Development lead Nova Scotia Power comms system upgrade -1997
Membership
Institution of Engineering and Technology
Gibraltar Association for New Technologies
British Blockchain Association
Mensa
Past & Current Interests & Pursuits
The Development of Distributed Ledger Technology (eg Blockchain) as a powerful platform for future technological solutions (very current)
Founder ICTA (Information & Communications Technology Association) - Gibraltar - 2003
Proposals for IT based Apprenticeships - Gibraltar - 2005
Football Youth Coach - 2009 to 2016
Young people development initiatives - eg. Tech for Youth, always
Neighbourhood Engineer Scheme - IEE UK - 1996-1998
What matters to me
My family & friends.
Appropriate application of technology for the benefit of economic development and service to the community.
Encouraging opportunities to develop the potential of young people for their benefit and that of their community.
Developing local football as a force for good.
Major Technology Projects
Westside & Bayside Schools New Build - 2019-2020 Two new secondary schools on one site. Managing the implementation of all technology services required into the new buildings, the infrastructure for the networks and systems to run the school. Additionally implement all the technology required for the provision of classes and lectures. The new build was an opportunity to upgrade substantially the technology available to the teachers and the students. The department of education made a sizeable investment on the provision of displays, Ipad tablets, computer suites, voice over IP telephony. The task involved interfacing, planning and managing subcontracted third parties as well as interfacing, assisting and dovetailing with the IT department of he HMGoG ITLD.
Aquagib Business System upgrade - 2019 A major overhaul of Aquagib's operations has necessitated an upgrade of the IT infrastructure including replacement of a bespoke Sage system with a Microsoft Dynamics based Utilities system from JenDev. My role is to conclude the gap analysis and requirements definition, development of test and acceptance specifications and Project Manage the development phase and implementation of the system for the whole organisation in Gibraltar.
n-wss ICT Ltd - 2000-2017. As founder initially focused on development of online software (pre cloud) providing back end functionality, to a less than ready internet infrastructure and market. This broadened to the provision of technology services to the business community cost effectively, fairly and responsively. Contracts included
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Technology Support for International Banks
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Requirements Capture, Implementation and support of centralised yet autonomous retail system for all commercial concessionaires at the new £60 million Gibraltar International Airport.
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Overhaul of IT network for the whole of the York Group (include stores such as M&S, Next & ELC and links to UK base)
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Business Analysis role on Port Authority VMS bespoke system software development by Piranha Design (see below).
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Consultancy for UN on Tetra systems in Africa and Europe.
Gibraltar Port VMS & Orkney VMS - 2011-2012 - The upgrade of the port operations lead to the development of the Vessel Management System. This required an extensive business and gap analysis exercise involving and engaging all stakeholders within the port department but also and critically all the external stakeholders. Interfacing to the Transact International maritime system, the VMS provided up to the second vessel traffic monitoring reports and information transfer. Web based and developed by Piranha Designs it is accessible by stakeholders from port operators to HM Customs via the Internet. Was then contracted to carry out the same exercise by Orkney Port Authority which included an on site gap analysis and report.
Royal Gibraltar Police Digital Radio System - 1999-2001. The turn of the century led to the culmination of the TeTRA race for real world implementations and the Royal Gibraltar Police was an excellent case. Operationally its procedures are the same as the rest of the UK mainland. Despite it being a very small jurisdiction it has particular challenges due to its geography which affects radio at the high frequencies that data transfer operates. The four site system with two control centres was successfully implemented through 2000 to 2001.
TeTRA system bring to market - 1997-1999. Competing with Motorola, Marconi and Nokia to be the first to market with the new digital over air radio communications system (to radio communications what GSM was to telephony) Simoco, based in Cambridge (an evolution of Philips) I was part of the team working with potential customers to define requirements, respond with proposals and quotes as well as managing trials, evaluation and testing of TeTRA system prototype components. The central switch was supplied by Frequentis and was an IP based data switch allowing data manipulation. This provided a fantastic grounding of IP based systems and networking protocols at its rawest. VoIP systems in essence.
Norfolk Fire Brigade - 1995-1998. Project Manager for Pioneering Mobile data system development and implementation, the first of its kind. Using the PMR infrastructure, a control room system linking to data terminals on board the fire engines and other Fire Brigade vehicles. This project involved managing a number of sub-contractors specialising in different areas of telecommunications to achieve a state of the art implementation providing up to the second information. Experience in Data interface protocols, control system and data terminal software development, hardware procurement, requirements capture and analysis, project management.
Nova Scotia Power and British Columbia Hydro Power - 1995-1997. Two systems in Canada for province wide radio communications. The software development required was an upscaling of a UK county wide (see Staffordshire Ambulance below) PBX system linking up to 70 radio sites throughout the province via microwave links. The radio system would also integrate with the companies telephone system thus providing communications integration between the PMR user and the national telephone network. As lead engineer my responsibilities involved interfacing with the clients lead engineer to help define the exact requirements and convert these to software development streams and test processes to acceptance. Through the project I would interface with users on the ground which exposed me to the internal politics of a large, wide spread, unionised organisation at first hand.
Staffordshire Ambulance - 1993-1995. System requirement, software development and system implementation of a Motorola 68000 controlled system. This controls a number of MPIC boards and the coding on the 68000 was in C. This project was exciting as a step up from board software to system control software (low level to high level language coding), together with the high intensity and pressure of working in an emergency services environment. The main function was control room despatch to signalled radio PBX.
Digital Signal Processing Software Development - 1991-1994. One of my first professional projects involved the development of software for an application specific circuit board manipulating digital voice and signalling for emergency services communications PBX systems. This Board included a 6800 controlled DSP (Digital Signal Processor) both of which required programming. The 6800 controlled a number of functions including various analogue to digital ports and a DSP which carried out filtering functions and translation functions on the voice data....early voice over IP.
