Faces of smartmicro: Meet Charlie Eccleson, Head of Sales and Technical Solutions at smartmicro UK

With a career that began in the Royal Marines and led him from rope access technology and field engineering into sales and technical solutions, Charlie brings a hands-on perspective to his work with customers and smartmicro technology. As one of the speakers in our upcoming webinar, “Beyond Highway Monitoring: From Vehicle Detection to Real-Time Traffic Awareness,” he also shares his thoughts on how highway monitoring is evolving and what the future of traffic awareness could look like.

Could you tell us a little about your professional background and what brought you to smartmicro?

My interest in electronics really began after my time with the Royal Marines, when I moved into the rope access industry as a Rope Access Technician. A big part of the role involved installing sensors and other equipment in some pretty hard-to-reach places around the country, which gave me my first real exposure to this type of technology.

After spending a considerable amount of my career working away from home, I started looking for a role that would give me a more consistent base while still offering some travel and variety. That’s what initially brought me to smartmicro.

I joined as a field engineer, which gave me the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with our products and, just as importantly, understand what customers expect from the systems we provide. From there, I progressed to Senior Engineer, overseeing installations and providing technical support for smartmicro products and legacy systems across the UK.

At the time, the UK team was relatively small, so I also became quite involved in the sales side of the business. I quickly realised that I really enjoyed that combination of technical knowledge, working with customers and developing new opportunities, and knew it was the direction I wanted my career to take.

I’ve now been Head of Sales for the UK, Republic of Ireland and Nordics for the past few years. It’s quite a change from hanging off ropes installing equipment, but I think having that hands-on technical background has been hugely valuable in my current role. I thoroughly enjoy the challenges, variety and successes that come with it.

What does your role as Head of Sales and Technical Solutions at smartmicro UK involve, and what does a typical day look like for you?

It’s almost impossible to describe a “typical” day at smartmicro, and that’s one of the things I love most about the role. Every day brings something different.

I could be looking at a complex traffic signal intersection on a Monday, discussing a defence application on Tuesday, attending a conference on Wednesday and travelling to meet customers in the Nordics on Thursday – what’s not to love?

My role is a real mix of sales and technical problem-solving. A big part of it is understanding what our customers are trying to achieve and working with them to find the right solution, whether that involves one of our existing products or something a little more bespoke.

It’s that variety that keeps me interested and excited about what I do. No two projects, customers or days are quite the same, and there’s always a new challenge to get stuck into.

What do you enjoy most about working at the intersection of technology, sales, and customer needs?

Our upcoming webinar is titled “Beyond Highway Monitoring: From Vehicle Detection to Real-Time Traffic Awareness.” What does “real-time traffic awareness” mean to you, and why is it becoming increasingly important?

With the increasing complexity of our road networks and the growing reliance on accurate, up-to-date information, I think traditional approaches to highway detection don’t always provide the level of network-wide insight that operators increasingly need. To me, real-time traffic awareness means having a live understanding of what is actually happening across the network. That goes beyond simply detecting that a vehicle has passed a particular point. It means bringing together information from roadside sensors, vehicles, roadworks, weather conditions and other factors affecting the highway, and making that information available to operators as events happen.

With that level of awareness, operators are in a much better position to manage traffic flow, lane availability, diversions and incidents, helping to minimise disruption and improve both safety and the experience of road users.

Traditional in-carriageway detection can provide very useful information, but it is generally limited to what is happening at specific detection points. Technologies such as smartmicro radar can provide a much more complete picture of what is happening across a monitored area, continuously tracking multiple road users and movements rather than simply registering individual detections.

For me, that is the shift from vehicle detection to traffic awareness: moving from knowing that something has happened at a particular point to understanding what is happening across the road in real time and giving operators the information they need to respond effectively.

What do you enjoy most about working in the UK ITS industry? Is there anything that makes the UK market particularly interesting from your perspective?

The UK is obviously my home market, so naturally I’m always going to sing its praises, but I genuinely believe the UK ITS industry is at the forefront of innovation, which makes it an incredibly exciting place to work.

Of course, we have standards, frameworks and contracts that we need to work within, but compared with some of the other markets I’ve experienced, I think the UK does a very good job of ensuring those requirements don’t stand in the way of innovation and development.

One of the things I enjoy most is seeing how quickly a good idea can develop. I’ve seen a comment turn into a conversation, that conversation turn into a pilot, and ultimately that pilot become a full-scale rollout. Being part of a market where new ideas aren’t just discussed but are actively explored and encouraged is hugely rewarding.

There’s also a real willingness within the UK ITS industry for manufacturers, integrators, consultants and road operators to work together to solve problems.

For me, that combination of collaboration, innovation and a willingness to try something new makes the UK one of the most interesting ITS markets out there.

And finally, when you’re not talking about radar, traffic, or highways, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hobbies or interests that help you switch off?

My wife would probably tell you that all I do is talk about highways, traffic and radar! Away from work, though, I really enjoy spending time with my family and getting outdoors.

I’m passionate about the countryside and I’m lucky enough to live in Dorset, a very rural part of the UK, so we have some fantastic places right on our doorstep.

A perfect weekend for me is getting out with my family and the dog for a long walk in the countryside, usually while trying my best to convince everyone that I’m definitely not lost and that I absolutely know where we’re going.

Thank you, Charlie!

A big thank you to Charlie for taking the time to share his story, his experience in the ITS industry, and his perspective on the future of highway monitoring.

We’re very happy to have Charlie as part of the smartmicro team and look forward to hearing more from him in our upcoming webinar, Beyond Highway Monitoring: From Vehicle Detection to Real-Time Traffic Awareness