Then and now: Philip Wilson

In a new feature for Bdaily, Philip Wilson, managing director at Shipley-based Slipstream Engineering Design, reflects on his career, from his first role to the present day, highlighting the lessons he has learned from his personal and professional evolution. 

What does your role entail?

Translating ideas and concepts into communication products that impact real lives and facilitate our modern, hyper-connected world. 

I am lucky that I get to work on the bench and at board strategy level with some of the best radar researchers across the UK to solve complex problems.

I get to support and mentor the next generation of engineers, which is so important to me. 

It is a privilege to help someone carve their path. 

Did you always want to work in electronics? Or did you have other ambitions when you were growing up?

I was always curious as a child.

Being the late 1980s, my curiosity led me to take electronics to pieces to find out how they worked and use the boards in them to build other items. 

Right from early on, I think it was obvious I would be an engineer.

What was your first job, and did you enjoy it?

My parents were heavily involved with our local rugby club, so I got roped into selling pie and peas to spectators. 

My first paid job was at a fruit and veg shop where I helped set up every day before school.

Were there any mentors or individuals who helped shape your career? And are you still applying lessons you learned then to your workforce of today?

I did my work experience at a local hi-fi shop, which turned into a part-time job. 

Les worked as the repairman at the shop and ran an amateur radio course, which I went on. 

I learned things from him that seeded my career. 

Professor David Rhodes inspired me with his passion and drive. 

He founded Filtronic, the first company I went to work for after university. 

While there, I learned how to develop and manufacture products. 

What he taught me is applied today at Slipstream, as it showed me how this process should be done. 

What attracted you to the electronics sector? 

Having a curious mind and wanting to know how things work has taken me to where I am today.

My dad worked for the NHS and would often bring home old or broken pieces of equipment that I found interesting.

It didn’t take long before I was tinkering with radio equipment and starting my journey into wireless electronic systems.

How do you feel you’ve changed as a person over the years? Have career roles brought new dimensions to your personality?

My journey in engineering and the radio frequency community has significantly shaped how I see the world. 

The diverse experiences and perspectives of people I've encountered have been a gift. 

They have helped strengthen my resilience and deepened my personal integrity.

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