Andrew Rickman
Non-Executive Director

Andrew was the founder and former non-executive chairman of Bookham Inc. (Nasdq: BKHM), the world’s second largest fibre optics telecom component producer, headquartered in San Jose, CA. Andrew founded Bookham in 1988, grew the company from a start-up to an FTSE100 company as CEO, and chaired the business through the consolidation of the telecoms industry. This included the acquisition of the optical components businesses of Marconi and Nortel Networks and of U.S. based Cierra Photonics, Ignis Optics, New Focus Inc. and Onetta Inc. Andrew developed the business to become a global manufacturer that is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange (with manufacturing facilities in Europe, North America and China).

In 2000, Andrew was named UK’s Technology and Communications Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. He has a mechanical engineering degree from Imperial College, London; a PhD in Photonics from Surrey University, an MBA from Cranfield University, and honorary doctorates from Surrey and Kingston Universities. He is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Millennium Honours list for services to the telecommunications industry and is a winner of the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Silver medal for his outstanding contribution to British Engineering.