David Edwin Potter (born 1943) is the founder and chairman of the microcomputer systems company Psion PLC., and

Psion Teklogix Psion Teklogix Inc. was the operational business of Psion (computers), Psion. Psion Teklogix is a global provider of solutions for mobile computing and wireless data collection. Psion Teklogix' products and services include rugged mobile hardw ...

after Psion's acquisition of

Teklogix Teklogix International Inc., or Teklogix, was a tech company founded in 1967 by engineers working at Ferranti-Packard. The company focused on mini computer applications. It designed and built complete systems based upon DEC's PDP-8 computer, DEC's ...

in the year 2000.

Early life

Potter was born in

East London, South Africa East London ( xh, eMonti; af, Oos-Londen) is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo Rive ...

, in 1943 and brought up in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. In 1963 he took up a Beit scholarship to read natural sciences at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

. In 1966 he was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to study for a doctorate in mathematical physics at

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, where he was subsequently appointed to the staff. As an academic during the 1970s, he taught at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

and at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

, consulted and wrote a number of academic papers and a book on the use of computers in physics.

Career at Psion

Potter founded Psion in 1980. In its early years, Psion became a leader in software for home microcomputers. In 1984, Psion invented 'The Organizer', the world's first volume hand-held computer for personal use and information. In 1988, Potter led Psion's flotation on the

London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pau ...

, which saw Psion's scale and value multiply many times. The company expanded further into data communications and mobile corporate solutions. In 1998, using Psion's experience in small mobile operating systems, Potter led the creation of Symbian Limited in partnership with

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...

Ericsson (lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent p ...

and Matsushita to create the operating system standard for mobile wireless devices – now known as

Symbian Symbian is a discontinued mobile operating system A mobile operating system is an operating system for mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typic ...

. In 1999, Potter stood down as chief executive of the company and assumed the role of chairman. He retired as chairman in September 2009.

Other activities

Potter has been a member of the London Regional Council of the CBI, a board member of the London First Centre and co-chairman of the London Manufacturing Group. From 1999 to 2003 he was a member of The Council for Science and Technology reporting to the Cabinet. Potter served on the 1997 National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (The Dearing Committee), and continued his involvement in higher education policy as a board member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England. He has also had extensive involvement with educational establishments as a Visiting Fellow of

Nuffield College, Oxford Nuffield College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college and specialises in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. Nuffield is one of Oxford's newer co ...

, Honorary Fellow of

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, London, and Honorary Fellow and Governor of The

London Business School London Business School (LBS) is a business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London. LBS was founded in 1964 and awards post-graduate degrees (Master's degrees in management and finance, MBA and PhD). Its motto is " ...

. In 1993, Potter received the

Mountbatten Medal The IET Mountbatten Medal is awarded annually for an outstanding contribution, or contributions over a period, to the promotion of electronics or information technology and their application. The Medal was established by the National Electronics C ...

from the

Institution of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Te ...

and has received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from a number of universities including Warwick, Sheffield, Edinburgh and York. He has written and lectured widely on technology and the new economy, including the Stockton Lecture at

in 1998, one of the Millennium Lectures at 10 Downing Street in 1999, and the Tacitus Lecture, 2000 at the Guildhall. He is also a former donor to the Labour Party. In September 2017, he was appointed Honorary Chairman of Planet Computers, a crowd-funded start-up producing the

Gemini (PDA) The Gemini PDA is a personal digital assistant designed by Planet Computers in association with Martin Riddiford, who formerly worked on the Psion Series 5 in the 1990s, and crowdfunded via Indiegogo in 2017. The Gemini bucks the trend of mode ...

, a spiritual successor to the Psion Series 5.

Honours

In the 1997 New Year's Honours list, Potter was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to the manufacturing industryBrunel
and in 2001 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineers. In 1999, he was chosen as Entrepreneur of the Year in the annual UK PLC Awards. In June 2003, Potter was appointed a non-Executive Director to the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

, stepping down in 2009.

Family

David Potter is married to journalist and writer

Elaine Potter Elaine may refer to: * Elaine (legend), name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend, especially: ** Elaine of Astolat ** Elaine of Corbenic * Elaine (short story), "Elaine" (short story), 1945 short story by J. D. Salinge ...

and they have three sons. His interests include his family, education, farming, golf, music, bridge, reading and ideas, science and economics and tennis. With their involvement in education and the developing world, the family created the David and Elaine Potter Foundation to support projects in education, research and third world development.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, David E. 1943 births Living people Alumni of Prince Edward School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Alumni of Imperial College London Academics of Imperial College London Academics of London Business School Academics of the University of London Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering People with non-domiciled status in the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK) donors