Meet the Team
Greater than the sum of our parts
You need a production line you can rely on. Parts you can depend on. People who have it in hand.
Pravin Panchal BSc (Eng) CEng MIET
Technical Director
Co-founder of SDS, Pravin is driven to excellence in all that he does. With his 40+ years of engineering experience, he is passionate about delivering successful results to customers and nurturing today’s and tomorrow’s engineers. His many years in the field of manufacturing, processing, converting and material testing industries have made Pravin an expert in AC and DC motor drive control systems.
When not working Pravin enjoys playing the drums, live music, and dancing to the Latin beats of salsa, samba and bachata. Glastonbury is a must!
Vina Panchal
Managing Director
As co-founder, Vina has been instrumental in making SDS what it is. She oversees everything non-engineering and is responsible for our strategic direction and growth.
Outside of work Vina loves food, travelling, music, beautiful buildings and property, watching cricket and spending time with family and friends.
Sally Robinson
Office Manager
Sally brings with her many years of first-class customer support, She’s part of the sales team, so speak to her and she promises that if she can’t find the solution to your problem, she will find someone that will!
Outside of work, Sally loves spending time with her family and friends, reading, her caravan and has a ridiculous obsession with make-up and handbags.
Rishi Panchal
Business Analyst
Rishi analyses all our numbers and data and shapes the strategic planning of SDS.
Aside from work, Rishi loves socialising with friends, fashion and rap music, actively playing Cricket and Badminton.
Emilia Wajs
Financial Controller
Emilia keeps our finances in check, reviewing and reconciling accounts, processing payments and dealing with all billing enquiries.
Outside of work Emilia loves long walks, reading, swimming, music and spending time with family and friends.
Patryk Szuwarowski
Drives Engineer
Patryk joined in Sept 2019, having finished 2 years of his Engineering Apprenticeship. Inquisitive and hungry to learn, Patryk puts an adept hand to engineering and repairs. You might speak to him about a sales quote too. Driving Excellence and aspiring to become the Engineer of tomorrow.
Outside of work Patryk loves to ride motorcycles as well as work on them, play fast-paced games like airsoft and spending time with his family.
Balram Singh
Sales & Technical Support Engineer
Balram joined SDS in 2021 and has over 5 years experience as a Sales & Technical Support Engineer.
Outside work he enjoys playing football, swimming and jogging to keep fit. In his spare time he also enjoys reading, listening to and making music.
Laura Didden
Head of Sales & Marketing
Laura is responsible for the company’s marketing and communications strategies, as well as overall branding and image.
When she’s not at work, Laura enjoys spending time with her family, attending concerts, diving, reading, and travelling as often as possible.
Simon Blake
Sales & Technical Support Engineer
Simon has worked in internal and external sales teams across various industries for over 18 years with experience of managing and developing customer relationships to achieve sales goals across the UK.
Outside of work he enjoys gigs and festivals, mountain biking and yoga.
Speak to us about anything
The SDS team is just on the other end of the phone. Whether you need an urgent repair, technical support or an expert’s opinion on what drive you should be looking for, we’re all on hand to help.
Could your name feature in our expert team? If you’re inspired to work with us, get in touch with your CV. We’d love to hear from you.
