60 seconds with Brentwood Communications' James Miller

James Miller, Brentwood Communications' managing director, discusses his time in the two-way radio industry

How do you spend most of your time at work?

I like to be quite hands-on, so my time is divided between clients, suppliers, attending management meetings and working on projects. We have an excellent team and I enjoy spending time with them.

What’s the one gadget that you can’t live without?

Definitely my phone. I’m mostly out of the office, so it means I can stay in contact easily with my team.

Describe your most unforgettable project.

It was a system we supplied for the MOD in Kabul, Afghanistan. We had to design and supply it within a very tight deadline. There were around 30 repeaters, masts and several hundred hand-portables, but we managed it.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve seen while working in the radio sector?

We have a very wealthy client based in the Middle East. I first met him at his apartment in West London, where he answered the door just in his pants and a shirt. That’s how he stayed for the entire meeting, while his family sat there smoking shisha pipes.

What advice would you give to a young radio engineer who’s starting their first job in the industry?

Learn all you can, go on courses, read books and ask questions. Keep up to date with technologies, get all the experience you can, and do the job to the best of your ability.

How has your role changed since you started working within the radio industry?

I began making the tea and cleaning hire radios. Since then I’ve done every role in-between, and have been an MD for around 10 years.

What do you do in your free time to relax?

I have a wonderful wife and three great children. Both my two girls are under five, so they keep me busy when I’m trying to relax. I go to the gym when I can and enjoy watching my football team, Liverpool, when we’re winning. Free time?!…

Miller joined Brentwood Communications in 1993 straight from school. He became sales director in 2004, and managing director in 2008.