10 Things You Didn’t Know about Alastair Westgarth
Alastair Westgarth may not be well-known to the general public, but he is one of the prominent figures in the technology industry. He is the current CEO of Starship Technologies, an autonomous robot-delivery startup in San Francisco. Starship has become a household name in the recent past by making small delivery robots and providing related services to different clients in the US and UK. Most people may not know that Westgarth is a seasoned entrepreneur with numerous achievements. The following are ten things you might not know about Alastair Westgarth.
1. Personal history
Westgarth was born on 10th April 1964 and raised in Canada, where he became interested in technology at an early age. In 1987, Alastair graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University, Canada. Westgarth is a licensed professional engineer with over 30 years of experience in the cellular industry. He has created and managed several telecom technology companies in the US and other regions in the world.
2. Bell Canada
Mr. Alastair started his career in the telecommunication industry at the age of 27. He worked at Bell Canada between 1991 and 1995, where he served in the capacity of the Director of Engineering. According to their website, Bell is currently the largest telecommunication provider in the country, offering wireless internet, TV, high speed, residential home phone, and mobile phone services.
3. Nortel Networks
Alastair Westgarth served as the Vice President at Nortel Networks for five years. Formerly Northern Telecom Limited, Nortel was a multinational telecommunication and data network equipment provider headquartered in Ontario, Canada. Until its collapse in 2003, the company was a recognized leader in the industry, delivering communications infrastructure that makes the promise of business simplicity a reality.
4. Navini Networks
President and CEO of Navini Networks from 2000 to 2004. Until 2007, Navini provided personal broadband and networking equipment and solutions. The company was based in Richardson, Texas, and it is known for developing an internet access system based on WiMAX wireless communication criteria.
5. InterWest and First Broadcasting
Engineer Westgarth joined Interwest in August 2004 and served as an EIR Engineer for five months. Alaistair later moved to First Broadcasting in January 2005, where he worked as an EPV engineer.
6. Airspan Networks
Mr. Westgarth worked at Airspan Networks from July 2006 to March 2007, serving in the capacity of the Chief Technology Officer. Airspan is an American telecommunication provider with headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. The company is known for its innovative and disruptive hardware and software for 5G networks. It is also a pioneer in end-to-end Open Ran solutions, providing interoperability with other businesses.
7. Tango Networks
Alastair Westgarth served as the CEO and President of Tango Network between March 2007 and February 2012. Tango is a telecommunication corporation offering communication solutions to carriers, enabling them to deliver mobile UC and small, medium-sized, and large enterprises. The company has created a unique hybrid architecture to ensure all key stakeholders, including carriers, businesses, and the end-user are all part of the value proposition.
8. Quintel Solutions
Westgarth served as the president and CEO of Quintel Solutions from 2012 to 2017. Quintel is a cellular antenna company headquartered in Rochester, New York Area. The technology company provides high-performance, high-efficiency antenna solutions to help mobile operators increase efficiency, accelerate ROI, minimize costs, and enhance service quality. Quintel solutions apply feature-rich antenna technologies to transform wireless infrastructure, making networks more efficient and reliable. Alastair Westgarth was responsible for the technical and commercial aspects of the company from a strategic perspective.
9. Loon Internet Company
Alastair Westgarth is the immediate former CEO of Loon LLC, which started as part of X, Google’s Moonshot Factory. The company was a subsidiary of Alphabet Incorporation and focused on bringing internet access to unserved and underserved communities around the globe through a network of high-altitude balloons that operate on the edge of space. According to his LinkedIn Profile, Alastair was the CEO and project leader of Loon from July 2018 to May 2021. The floating balloon company was founded in 2011 and shut down in January 2022.
10. Advisory Boards
Mr. Westgarth has been on the advisory boards of several companies like Genesis Campus and Spatial Wireless (acquired by Alcatel). In addition, he was on the board of directors for Tango Networks and Valere Power. In this capacity, Alastair has supported companies by providing current knowledge, critical analysis, and thinking to enhance their confidence and provide a safe harbor for business executives. Alastair Westgarth has participated in various key events sponsored by different stakeholders across the globe. He was one of the speakers at the Hazel Hills CBD Gummies Reviews, held on 28th June 2021. Westgarth was one of the speakers at the 2019 Mobile World Congress, the annual trade show in Barcelona. The event is organized by GSMA and brings together the leading-edge technology and innovations. It is the World’s largest exhibition for the mobile sector and incorporates a thought-leadership conference. According to Brooklyn 5G Summit, Engineer Alaistair was a key speaker in the 2019 Brooklyn 5G Summit. He has also participated in the AfricaCom 2018 and AfricaCom 2017 held in Cape Town, South Africa.
Takeaway
Alastair Westgarth is an experienced entrepreneur who has led multiple startups and telecommunication companies. He possesses a broad range of outstanding skills and knowledge in various sectors, like business, engineering, entrepreneurship, management, technology, human resources, product marketing, and many others. Westgarth brings a mix of extensive experience in senior management and outstanding technical expertise to Starship Technologies. Alastair joined the company in June 2021and has all that is required to steer it forward. Starship Technologies is a big player in the autonomous robot delivery industry, manufacturing small, boxy, self-driven vehicles. Advancements in machine learning and computer vision have made robots increasingly capable and affordable. Starship Technologies is an Estonian corporation with its headquarters in San Francisco, California, and has engineering operations in Finland, Estonia, Tallinn, and Helsinki. It also has other offices in Mountain View, California, London, Washington, DC, and Germany. The company is quickly transforming the world by making robots more accessible for more people. Alastair believes this transformation will go so far that robots will become nearly as common as humans in the future.
