Peter Watson

Peter Watson OBE was until 2005 the Chairman and Chief Executive of AEA Technology, one of Britain's largest science and engineering services businesses. It had a staff of 2500 and a £250m turnover and has a particular expertise in the environmental and transport sectors.

He brings an experience to Lontra of the development of major, strategic technologies. He spent 15 years with leading automotive Tier 1 supplier GKN, overseeing the development and commercialisation of new technologies. He has also had senior roles in British Rail, including Chairman of the Research and Technology Committee. Peter also has extensive City experience, being involved in an MBO and subsequent a trade sale (as Chairman of Porterbrook) and an IPO (as Chief Executive of AEA Technology). He was the Chairman of AGM Batteries Ltd, which manufactures market-leading Lithium-ion cells, and is a Non-Executive Director of the Health and Safety Laboratory. He is a former NED of investment fund Martin Currie Enhanced Income plc and precision instruments supplier Spectris plc.

He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (USA). He has been a member of DTI advisory committees and has an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University. He is currently a Visiting Professor at Imperial College.

Colin Billiet

Colin Billiet is the former CEO of domnick hunter group, a leading supplier of filtration and other equipment to the compressor industry. Colin participated in an MBO of the firm and its' 1994 IPO. As CEO he tripled sales through expansion and product innovation. When sold to Parker Hannifin in 2005, in a deal that valued the company at a P/E ratio of 32, domnick hunter employed 2000 people and operated in 26 countries.

Colin has a background as a design engineer, with numerous patents and technical publications to his name. He was a director of the British Compressed Air Society for 18 years, and a member of various international compressor industry bodies.

Brian Long

Brian Long is an experienced manager of engineering and technology companies, leading established companies and providing 'company doctor' roles in rapidly changing situations. He often works with Private Equity and VC firms.

He was Chairman of oil and gas inspection company Moody International, appointed when Close Brothers Private Equity managed a buyout from Moody's US parent. He was Chairman of machine tools distributor Mills Manufacturing Technology until its recent successful sale. He is a director of French manufacturer Poclain Hydraulics and optical control firm Meta Vision Systems.

He has considerable experience working with companies throughout their early expansion and financing phases, including Powerlase, and with trade sales of engineering companies as CEO. He started his career with Massey-Ferguson, leading to senior finance and general management roles within the group. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Steve Lindsey, Technical Director

Steve's background is in technical project management, delivering IT projects for blue chip companies, and he has been developing new technologies for over 20 years.

Simon Hombersley, Business Development Director

Simon has SME management experience and a background in public affairs, working with government technology agencies such as PPARC and NERC, and commercial projects for Atlas Venture. He is a member of the London Technology Network Environment Group Board.