Sir Robin Saxby
Areas of Interest
Business, EngineeringHonorary Award
Honorary Doctor of Technology, 2010Biography
Sir Robin Saxby is a highly respected engineer, manager and entrepreneur.
He was born in Derbyshire, educated at Chesterfield Boys Grammar and obtained a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics) from Liverpool University where he is now a Visiting Professor.
His early career was in design and development with Rank Bush Murphy and Pye TMC. He spent eleven years with Motorola Semiconductors in a variety of sales, marketing and engineering management roles, before taking up the post as Chief Executive Officer of Henderson Security Systems. He subsequently moved back to the semiconductor electronic industry as UK Managing Director, Vice-President Northern Europe and Head of the US branch, of European Silicon Structures.
He started with ARM in 1991 with backing from Acorn, Apple and VLSI Technology. ARM is one of the outstanding British engineering successes in the last 40 years. It has pioneered a new technology, a new business model and rose in 10 short years from a 12 person start up to a FTSE-100 company.
Sir Robin and colleagues built ARM from start-up to the global giant it is today. He has held almost every senior position in the company including Chief Executive Officer, President and Executive Chairman, and is the global name synonymous with the company that designs microchips for 90 percent of the world's mobile phones and is today at the heart of the development of countless digital technology products, including via Microsoft iPad and iPhone 4.
Sir Robin was knighted in the 2002 New Year Honours list for services to the information technology industry.
Citation
"Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for Sir Robin Saxby for the award of Honorary Doctor of Technology.
Sir Robin Saxby is a highly respected engineer, manager and entrepreneur.
Listening to Sir Robin speaking I quickly realised that he is extraordinarily talented and an absolute livewire, yet equally a modest, thoughtful and down to earth individual. For me it was a delight and privilege to meet a person with such a passion for engineering, demonstrated through numerous examples, for example: creating his own radio and TV repair business at the age of 13; having absolute clarity as to why he wanted to study electronics at Liverpool University - a key reason being because it was the capital of rock and roll; recalling as a young graduate speaking about his final year degree project on colour TV at the Royal Television Society and subsequently on the strength of his expertise in the area of TV and chips getting a job with Motorola - the package including a company car, a Ford Cortina 2000E, a highly desirable trophy then for a young man and the envy of all his friends; and thirdly his genuine interest and commitment to supporting and developing young engineers today.
Sir Robin was born in Derbyshire, educated at Chesterfield Boys Grammar and obtained a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics) from Liverpool University where he is now a Visiting Professor, offering support in the area of 'wealth creation from technology.'
His early career was in design and development with Rank Bush Murphy and Pye TMC. He spent eleven years with Motorola Semiconductors in a variety of sales, marketing and engineering management roles, before taking up the post as Chief Executive Officer of Henderson Security Systems. Sir Robin told me that this was a 'baptism of fire', but excellent experience in running a business. He subsequently moved back to the semiconductor electronic industry as UK Managing Director, Vice-President Northern Europe and Head of the US branch, of European Silicon Structures.
A head hunting phone call led him to start ARM in 1991 with backing from Acorn, Apple and VLSI Technology. ARM is one of the outstanding British engineering successes in the last 40 years. It has pioneered a new technology, a new business model and rose in 10 short years from a 12 person start up to a FTSE-100 company, a world beater and a world shaper. ARM is a new economy company. It doesn't manufacture, it designs, it doesn't sell, it licenses its design but unlike many other such companies it also makes significant profits for its shareholders and staff.
Sir Robin and colleagues built ARM from start-up to the global giant it is today. He has held almost every senior position in the company including Chief Executive Officer, President and Executive Chairman, and is the global name synonymous with the company that designs microchips for 90 percent of the world's mobile phones and is today at the heart of the development of countless digital technology products, including via Microsoft iPad and iPhone 4. Probably three quarters of the audience today will have an ARM design with them, as the vast majority of mobile phones have ARM chips in them.
Sir Robin was knighted in the 2002 New Year Honours list for services to the information technology industry.
Since his departure from ARM in 2006, he has continued to act as their ambassador globally, encouraging young people to take up careers in engineering, science and technology, which was a theme that year for his term as President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Sir Robin still finds time to pursue his interest in renewable and alternative energy sources, and in supporting business start-ups. However typical of the man he is, Sir Robin does not invest solely from a venture capitalist perspective, but rather in ideas and people he likes.
Despite his extremely busy, global schedule, he has supported our University's Faculty of Science & Technology in many ways. Indeed even as a young graduate engineer working at Marconi he lectured part-time at the Chelmer Institute which of course subsequently has evolved into Anglia Ruskin University. Most recently he gave a presentation to staff and students on 'Wealth Creation from Technology'. His personal backing has significantly enhanced the conference profile and reputation of Anglia Ruskin University, both in the UK and internationally. And his continuing presence will ensure closer collaboration with ARM in the future for the benefit of present and future computing and technology students from the East of England region.
For his dynamic and sustained contribution to the advancement of global technology we would like to honour him today.
Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present Sir Robin for the award of Doctor of Technology, honoris causa."