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DONALD HUGH NORTHCOTE
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Date of Birth: 19 October 1927 Qualifications: BA Hons, AKC, PGCE, MBIM |
| SCHOOL | Whitgift Middle School, Croydon, 1939-1946 Sixth-form subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology, taken to Inter BSc level |
| NATIONAL SERVICE | In RAF as Ground Radar Mechanic 1946-1949. Main operational experience on Type 7000 (Gee-Chain) navigational aid. In charge of a mechanics watch on this equipment for over a year. Courses and some experience on other Radar equipments including CH, CHL, NT277, etc. |
| COLLEGES (1) (2) |
Kingston Technical College 1949-1950, in
preparation for Inter BA. King’s College, London University, 1950-1954 |
| DEGREE | BA Honours English (London) 1953 |
| DIPLOMA | AKC (Associateship of King’s College) 1953. |
| CERTIFICATE | Postgraduate Certificate in Education 1954 (During the course the Group underwent a full-scale IQ test, in which I came top at 156 points.) |
| PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION | Associate Member of the British Institute of Management (AMBIM) 1967. Full Member (MBIM) 1977. |
| POSTS (1) . 1954-1955 |
Assistant English Master at Tollington
Grammar School, Muswell Hill. Also Tutor in English Studies at Muswell Hill Evening Institute. |
| (2) 1955-1958 |
Technical Author for Marconi’s
Wireless Telegraph Co. Ltd.,. Aeronautical Division. Engaged in preparation
of Manuals for airborne communication equipments and navigational aids.
Solely responsible for production of instruction manual for an advanced
multi-channel HF transmitter/receiver for airline use, employing servo
systems for automatic tuning and aerial matching. Promoted to Senior Staff in September 1957. |
| (3) 1958-1961 |
(a) Technical Author for the Solartron
Electronic Group Ltd. Initially concerned with Handbooks, Proposals and sales promotional literature for Radar Simulators, subsequently becoming responsible for all technical publications for the Farnborough location, including data-handling and a range of systems activities involving both analogue and digital techniques. Built up the department to a strength of seven technical writers and three clerical staff. Became increasingly involved with Design Study work and systems engineering, while still managing technical publications. |
| . 1961-1963 | (b) Appointed Systems Engineer for a major Government contract involving a large special-purpose digital computer with a quantity of varied peripheral equipment, while continuing to act as Systems Technical Publications Manager. |
| 1963-mid 1966 | (c) .Appointed Sales Office Manager for Military Systems and Simulation Division, responsible for general organisation of the Sales Office, preparation of tenders, proposals, promotional literature and advertising. Also in charge of a small staff (including four writers) for handbook preparation. |
| mid’66-July’67 | (d) Appointed Group Technical Publications Manager, responsible for the preparation of handbooks and technical literature for all Divisions of The Solartron Electronic Group. |
| . (4) . July 1967 |
Manager: Publicity Services for Herbert-Ingersoll Limited, a new and separate Company formed in 1967 (by Alfred Herbert Ltd. of Coventry and The Ingersoll Milling Machine Company of Rockford, Illinois, USA) for the planning, design and manufacture of large custom-built advanced machining systems. Responsible for Press Relations and advertising, production of System Proposals and Study Reports, promotional literature, etc. |
| March 1970 | .Duties widened to include Marketing planning and administration |
| July 1972 | Company went into Receivership |
| (5) July 1972 |
Regional Director for Tolex S A, Barcelona, Spain. As an investing Director I was responsible for planning and negotiating the acquisition of hotels for conversion and administration |
| POSTS (6) Feb 1973 |
Marketing Manager for Pitmans Correspondence College, responsible for Sales Promotion and product planning. Devised and launched the Voice-Link scheme as the first major innovation in this field since the development of postal tuition. |
| (7) June 1975 |
Technical Presentation Manager for the Water Research Centre, concerned with arranging Conferences, Symposia, Regional Meetings and Workshop training courses; subsequently concentrating increasingly on reception of visitors (more than 600 each year from UK and overseas) and dealing with information enquiries. |
| (8) Aug 1981 |
Publications Manager for Shell International Petroleum Company’s Computer Applications and Technology Division, responsible for editing the Shell Computing journal and the production and distribution worldwide of IC Reports, Standards, Guidelines, etc. |
| Oct 1987 | Retired from Shell on reaching mandatory age, but continued on an outside Consultancy basis for the editing of Shell Computing journal and for other special publications until the activity was transferred to The Hague in January 1992. |
