Hamish Butler
Telecom Networks Division
Edinburgh

Professional growth doesn't stop when you get promoted.

As long as creativity, innovation and ambition are key to Agilent's success, training and development will be high priorities. And that's why one to ones and mentoring from my manager remain a regular part of my routine. I'm R&D Section Manager and Business Team Leader for TNTD Transmission I&M business. The Division provides test equipment for network equipment manufacturers such as Lucent, Nortel and Cisco, as well as network operators such as AT&T, Worldcom and BT. Our test equipment helps in the design and roll out of high speed optical transmission networks.

My responsibilities fall into two categories. Firstly, to lead the Business Team and develop our rolling three year business plan. (The Team includes people from Marketing, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance and Customer Support). And secondly, to work with my Project Managers to lead the development of our new product programmes. (The R&D Team consists of Project Managers and Engineers working on Object Oriented Software, VDL and High Speed Digital Design).

Although I'm based on site, I do a lot of business travel, too. In the last year that's included visiting customers in the U.S., South America and the Far East. Plus trips to industry conferences and other Agilent Divisions around the world. We get involved in some fascinating work. So far the most interesting project was one designed for verification of cellular networks. It included development and integration of a test mobile, an RF receiver, a GPS receiver and a laptop PC and application software. The end product was capable of making measurements on a GSM network from a moving vehicle and then displaying the results on a digital map. Right now we're working on a new hardware and software platform to develop our next generation of 10Gb and 40 Gb transmission test instruments.

The highlights of my last year? There are two. One involved putting together the largest and most significant product development we have ever worked on. And the other was seeing the team here pull together to deliver that project ahead of schedule, through sheer dedication and hard work. Teamwork, speed, innovation – they're not just abstract ideals at Agilent. They're central to the way we do things every working day.

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Tom Johnston
Telecoms Systems Division
Edinburgh

You live in London. Your friends are in New York. When you phone, your call is handled by at least three companies. Yet you receive only one bill. How does that work?

It's all due to access7, fast becoming the world standard in telecom network monitoring. It's one of the systems developed in this Division to allow telecoms operators to make more of their network through data mining. I'm a Project Manager within R&D. It's my job to help my team of 16 engineers understand what the customer needs - and then design and develop the best solution. I'm also responsible for ensuring continuing process improvement and for making certain we keep our promises to customers.

I've enjoyed a lot of variety in my work with Agilent. It's included roles in Software Design, Hardware Design and Team Leadership and I'm currently also acting as liaison with the University of Strathclyde. The last year has been busy but really rewarding. I've built a team from scratch to develop the new product. I've grown in my role, moving on from project manager to my current responsibilities. Along the way I've also hired 10 new people into the company. And Agilent has backed me all the way, developing my skills and opening up opportunities.

Maybe the way that Agilent operates is best summed up by one example. As a Software Engineer I once expressed a strong interest in knowing more about Hardware Design. I was given the go ahead to design a product as a training project. Despite the high costs involved, Agilent was prepared to take a gamble and let me try. Happily, the product was a success and has since clocked up over $7million in sales. But whatever the outcome, what counts for me is that the company was willing to take a chance. The future? From here, I want to continue to grow as a manager and get more customer contact. And I'm confident that I'll be supported and encouraged all the way.

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Andrew Fisher
Electronic Measurements Group
Edinburgh

"What if we change this?" "How much will it cost to do that?" Those are the kind of questions I deal in every day. I'm Lead Engineer in Embedded Software, working on product development in Power and Noise Products.

That means focusing on one of two areas. Power Meters, which measure the radio frequency a device generates. Or Noise Figure Analyzers, which measure the extra noise any one component adds to a system - my current specialism. There's a big market for what we do. By measuring and reducing noise, we can give a product a real competitive edge. Reduce the noise levels in a satellite dish, for example, and you reduce the amount of transmitter power it needs. Big saving. Or, on a smaller scale, just consider how much longer cellphone batteries will last if component noise levels are taken down.

Like everyone at Agilent, I work as part of a team. (Teamwork is absolutely central to the way things get done here). I work with other Engineers and Product Planners to determine what the specific features will be on new or improved products. Projects can stretch over several years. That means that I get totally involved from day one, which is great.

For example, I've been working for several years on the replacement for a very well respected noise reduction device. It's been a wide-ranging process. We've talked to all kinds of users – from Nokia to tiny companies. As usual, I've worked mainly on site here in Edinburgh, having input on everything from manufacturing to documentation. But I've also talked directly to customers, checking that we're on the right track to delivering exactly what they want. It all takes different skills – but that's what makes it so satisfying. And when the job's completed – on time, with all the right features – there's the satisfaction of knowing I've really achieved something major.

So what's happened since we finished work on our new Noise Figure Analyzer? Customers love it. I know that because I've recently returned from a trip with the Sales team to new and potential clients in Bergen, Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Munich. And we also won "Product Of The Year" award from Microwave and RF Magazine, which is a nice feeling, too.

I've been with Agilent for seven years now, gaining experience in a variety of areas. That's how I see the future shaping up too. Because this company is so broad that there's always plenty of scope to develop. And that's exactly what Agilent will encourage me to do.

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Craig Hunter
Network Solutions Division
Ipswich

Highlights of my year? Promotion to Project Manager. Starting a new product development from scratch. And putting together a team that's already made significant progress in taking it forward.

Our Division develops and manufactures Fibre Optic modules and IC's. Our customers are major switch suppliers like Cisco and Nortel. They provide the capability in the LAN and WAN for the vast majority of internet traffic over 10 - 40 km. We also provide optical modules which form the interconnect on the backplane of these huge switch matrices.

Before joining Agilent I had 10 years experience in the fibre optic industry. Five years on, I'm now a Project Manager in R&D. So in addition to hands on involvement, I'm responsible both for developing the members and the overall capability of my team. I have 10 people reporting to me here in Ipswich. And I also work closely with the team in Turin working on the same product development. Plus, of course, all the people in Marketing, Quality and Applications who feed into the project. There's definitely no shortage of opportunities for professional development at Agilent – but it's up to you to grab them.

Although most of my time is spent on site in Ipswich, I've seen a lot of California recently. Our customers are businesses rather than consumers. And for many – including Cisco and Nortel – the Bay area is home. So that's where a lot of our meetings take place, covering both technical and marketing issues. I also got to know the way to San Jose fairly well, too. My stay there was extended to lead a product redesign – an excellent learning experience – and my family was flown out at company expense to join me.

I've worked on some unusual projects. The best was one where I spent 9 months focusing on Electromagnetic Interference, acting as lead technical contact for the Ipswich site. It was a steep learning curve and the work involved long hours of experimentation. But I personally helped solve the technical problem which was preventing our product from competing in the marketplace. And that, as you might guess, felt pretty good. That's the past. But the future looks just as exciting. In the short term I'm focused on completing my current product development – starting by recruiting more team members to make it all happen. After that I want to grow my role and run an even more diversified technical team. And because of the sheer scope available with Agilent – and the responsive, innovative culture – that's something I'm confident will happen

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Employee Views on Training

"My training's been pretty broad ranging. Lots of emphasis on technical development, obviously. Everything from an Electrical Engineering course created especially for Software Engineers through to practical training in Agilent systems. But perhaps more surprisingly, there's also been a strong focus on developing soft skills. I've taken part in courses dealing with communication and presentation skills. Handling different social styles. Understanding what motivates people. Coaching and mentoring. It's all been incredibly useful and has definitely helped me grow into my current managerial role. I don't know exactly what's next - but I do know that Agilent will back me all the way."
Tom Johnston, Edinburgh – Telecom Systems Division

"When people talk about training, it often conjures up an image of an on-site classroom. And, of course, that's where much of it takes place. But not all. For instance, I went to California to learn about a new product, spending three weeks with the project team. And I've since been on other training courses abroad when that's been judged the best way to get the full picture. Definitely one of the benefits of working for a company as large and diverse as Agilent."
Andrew Fisher, Edinburgh – Electronic Measurements Group

"I've had access to a lot of courses to help build up my management skills. Team Building. Management Styles. Social Styles. And, probably the most interesting of all, a fascinating one on Building Customer Focused Organisations. The aim there was to encourage a lateral thinking approach to managing customer relationships. It's all about seeing beyond what they're telling you, about anticipating possible problems and - of course - coming up with solutions. At the moment, I'm talking to my manager about doing some Advanced Management training. Like new graduates, I'll have a mentor - the difference being that mine will be from an external organisation. I think it will be good for me - now all I have to do is make the case for it."
Hamish Butler, Edinburgh – Telecom Network Test Division

"Definitely the most unusual training experience I've had was at Agilent in San Jose. My visit was unexpectedly extended to lead a product redesign, which turned out to be an excellent on-the-job learning opportunity. And in the course of the 18 months I spent there, I also gained some good training for management. Other training has been more straight forward, but no less valuable. Situational Awareness Skills. Coaching and Managing Performance. Project Management. Interviewing Skills. Cross Cultural training. And there will definitely be more to come - professional development is a high priority with Agilent". Craig Hunter, Ipswich –