Biography
![Charles W. Davies photo](/www9/images/speaker-davies.jpg)
Charles W. Davies, BSc, PhD
Group Development Director
Psion PLC
Charles W. Davies obtained a first class honours degree in Physics at Imperial College, University of London, in 1972, followed by a PhD degree in Computational Plasma Physics, and a spell as a Research Assistant, at the same university under David Potter.
He joined Psion in 1981, shortly after David Potter founded the company, and was appointed to the board in 1982 as Software Director. In that position, he built up a world-class software development team, played a key role in product definition, cultivated the company's expertise in developing big software for small, low cost systems, and was the lead architect for such products as graphical user interfaces, word processors, and spreadsheets. He introduced object-oriented programming techniques in 1988, long before they became fashionable.
As the company grew, Dr. Davies' responsibilities broadened, and he took on a number of product development roles, ultimately at the Group level when the company reorganised into product divisions in June 1996. In July 1997, he took over as Managing Director of Psion Computers to cover for the departure of the existing Managing Director, and functioned in that capacity until June 1998 when a replacement was found.
Since June 1998, Dr. Davies has served as Group Development Director and is responsible for new business development, technology foresight, and new product development across the Psion