Professor Michael Walker
Director of Vodafone UK’s research and development
Vodafone has a very capable professor to head its research and development operations based in the UK. Professor Michael Walker is the Group R&D Director for the Vodaphone Group of Companies. In addition, the professor heads efforts focused on technology innovation and overseas the overall management of start-up companies commercializing these new technologies.
Allied to this, his membership in the Board of Vodafone Ventures -the company’s venture capital arm, gives the professor enough clout to evaluate the economic and business opportunities promised by the emerging markets for the various technical innovations he is overseeing in various positions.
The new R&D position is tailor-suited to the professor after proving himself more than prepared to spearhead various initiatives at technical innovation as well as his previous and concurrent experience in the technical fields of the academe.
Impressive Academe Credentials
Professor Walker holds the Vodaphone Chair as a part-time professor in Telecommunications at the Royal Holloway, University of London. He is also a visiting professor at the University of Surrey and the Vice Chairman of VCE, an association of industries and universities doing mobile communications research. He sits on the science advisory boards of the Universities of Surrey and Warwick as well as some new telecommunication companies.
The Professor was a member of the UK Technology Strategy Board and held the office of Board Chairman in the European Standards Institute. Shortly before joining Vodafone, Professor Michael Walker was Head of Mathematics at the Racal Research Company. And prior to that, he was an academic faculty member at the Tuebingen University in Germany. He is also a Fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering as well as a member of the Council of the Academy.
