Meet the Team

 

 Ecebs Management and Commercial Team

Pat Curran

Executive Chairman

Pat brings 40 years of experience in the technology industry to Ecebs. During this time he has developed and led the growth strategy for a number of organisations, and over the last 10 years has led Bell ID, overseeing their geographical, research & development and global partnership expansion. In November 2012 Ecebs became part of the Bell ID Group as part of a wider strategy to invest and grow both companies internationally. Whilst the Chief Executive of Bell Group plc, Pat was awarded a "Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award" as a result of the consistent double growth of the Group with turnover exceeding £70 million per annum and established operating divisions across Europe, Scandinavia, Australia and The Americas. Pat additionally leads an international facilities management software company and has a number of other board level appointments.

Russell McCullagh

Managing Director

Russell is one of the founding members of Ecebs and has over 22 years experience in software, technology and marketing across a variety of industries. He started his career with Motorola where he held a range of engineering and commercial roles within the Smart card Division, culminating in a role as World Wide Product Marketing Manager for several silicon product lines. Following two years with Keycorp as a Program Director delivering payment systems, Russell helped found Ecebs where his role has involved growing an operational and delivery team for smart card and back office solutions. His extensive Smart card industry experience covers all smart card sectors including payments, mobile and transport and includes 10 years of detailed ITSO experience. Russell is a member of the Boards of Ecebs, Nevis Technologies and Accrington Technologies and is a member of the ITSO Technology, Security and Customer Media committees.

Chris Harvey

Finance Director

Chris joined Ecebs as Finance Director in November 2012 when the company became part of the Bell ID Group. He brings previous management experience at both Managing Director and Finance Director level. He continues to oversee Bell ID's finances, a role he has held since 2005, bringing a breadth of experience as a result of roles with large corporations in the IT, Services and Manufacturing sectors across Europe, the Middle East and Australasia. As well as leading Ecebs on financial matters, Chris holds a number of non-Executive Directorships and guides several business leaders in the SME sector on acquistions, growth and MBO's. He graduated from Bristol University with a BSc in Economics and Accounting before completing his professional qualification in chartered accountancy (ACA) with PwC in London. Following an earlier career with Marley plc, latterly as the Group Financial Controller, he moved on to  OCS Limited as Finance Director. He was also until recently, a non-Exec of HRGO plc a £100 million recrutiment services company.

Ian Atherfold

Sales Director

In a career spanning over 25 years in the technology industry, Ian has held a range of positions in leading sales and marketing roles with a strong background in customer relationship management and contract matters. He joined Ecebs in 2011 in the role of Business Development Director, having previously spent 7 years at International Decision Systems, a global leader in asset finance software and solutions where he was responsible for Strategic Accounts in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Before that he had been Commercial Manager at Glass's, part of EurotaxGlass's, Europe's leading supplier of data, solutions and automotive business intelligence. As sales director, Ian has overall responsibility for managing and directing the commercial strategy of the business.

Mike Peters

Product Director

Mike is one of the founding members of Ecebs and has over 32 years experience in software engineering across a variety of industries.  He has worked in senior technical roles at major blue chip companies such as Oracle and Sema Group developing and delivering large mission critical systems for the transport, telecommunications and utilities industries. Mike also has over 10 years Smart card industry experience which includes more than 6 years detailed ITSO experience, including responsibility for the development of the ITSO Security Management System. He is a member of the ITSO Technical Committee and ITSO Working Groups
As Product Director, Mike has overall technical responsibility for the development of all of Ecebs’ software products.

Brian McGuiness

Operations Manager

Brian has in excess of 23 years experience in software engineering in industry sectors as diverse as transport, intelligence, law enforcement and government. He has 12 years Smart Card industry experience and was part of the original core Ecebs team; As Operations Manager Brian has overall responsibility for project management, delivery and technical support teams. He has a depth of detailed ITSO knowledge and in particular the security management aspect of operations and support.

Carin McCullagh

Marketing Manager

Carin has been with Ecebs for 10 years and heads the marketing team. Her 17 years of industry experience includes previous roles with Motorola and First Direct Bank where she gained valuable experience in smart card manufacturing and retail banking. Carin works closely with Ecebs commercial and technical teams to drive Product and Solution messaging. She is also responsible for Ecebs Public Relations, communications and social media.

Alan O’Dowd                    

In-House Legal Counsel

Alan is a solicitor with 7 years post-qualification experience of practising law in Scotland.  He graduated from Strathclyde University in 2001 with an Honours Degree in Scots Law and also obtained a Masters Degree in Legal Research from Glasgow University in 2008.  Alan trained as a solicitor with the well-known Glasgow law firm Brechin Tindal Oatts and worked in the litigation departments of both BTO and Levy & McRae before joining Ecebs in 2009 to provide in-house support on legal, contractual and Intellectual Property matters.

Mel Pashley

Strategic Account Director

Mel read Economics at Coventry University where he graduated with Honours. He has held a number of senior posts within the ICT sector with organisations such as Amdahl, Olivetti and Unisys and spent many years managing clients in the financial services industry such as Barclays Bank and the deep insight and knowledge gained led to his interest and subsequent transition into the smart card industry.
Mel joined Ecebs in 2000 and has been instrumental in the development of relationships throughout the transport industry and is the prime commercial interface between ITSO and Ecebs.

Dru Higgins

Business Development Manager

Dru has been working within the technology industry for over 26 years and has gained a depth of experience in both Public and Private sectors in the UK and abroad. Dru joined Ecebs in 2011 and since then has been instrumental in winning new business particularly in the Public Sector. Dru also has responsibility for managing a number of Ecebs’ channel partners.

Charlotte Burdett           

Business Development Manager

Charlotte graduated from Nottingham Trent University School of Business in 2010 with a degree in Marketing, Design and Communications. She spent the following two years with TUI group before joining Ecebs in January 2012 as Business Development Manager. Her responsibilities include managing a number of Ecebs’ Key Accounts as well as developing new opportunities outside of her account portfolio.

Sheryll Ricketts

Solutions Manager - Transport

Sheryll graduated with a Computer Sciences degree and joined Ecebs in 2005 as a Graduate Test Engineer. Since then Sheryll has progressed through the company in various roles including Sales Engineer and Product Manager before taking up her current role in 2010. Her unrivalled knowledge and detailed understanding of Ecebs’ technology, ITSO, EMV, Multi-application Smart card solutions and Mobile is critical to help develop Ecebs’ transport sector solutions and future product roadmaps.  As Solutions Manager, Sheryll is now responsible for all solutions created and sold within the Transport sector and works closely with our partners, customers and target market to ensure that Ecebs continue to provide the industry leading solutions our customers have come to rely on.

Stephen McSpadden

Solutions Manager - Cards and Payment

Stephen has been working with smart cards since 1994 and joined Ecebs in 2000 and is one of our founding engineers. His experience covers everything from smart card manufacturing, testing and qualification through to application development and security evaluations to Common Criteria and banking levels. He has developed cryptographic libraries and banking, health and ID smart card applications. He combines this technical expertise with a commercial understanding, ensuring that our smart card solutions provide customers with what they actually need.