ROLI is not just a company of specialists, but a community of polymaths creating new synergies between the professional and the personal.
After high school, Roland moved to Japan to practise Zen Buddhism. He earned a degree in Classical Chinese and Sanskrit Philosophy from Harvard University. His diverse achievements led to a scholarship to pursue an MA in Design Products at the RCA. There he invented the award-winning Seaboard GRAND and ROLI was born.
Damian has over 20 years in B2B and B2C sales, marketing, and retail. He played a key role in expanding the Portable Navigation Device (PND) market in the UK, building and driving TomTom to clear and sustained market leadership. He also helped set up AFC Wimbledon, of whom he remains a lifelong supporter.
With extensive experience heading up social for brands, most recently Etsy, Jon has a passion for finding new creative ways to engage and grow online communities. He's also a seasoned bassist who holds a degree in Popular Music Performance and a love for the UK's craft beer scene.
With a degree in French that took her to the island of Martinique for a year, Jemilla pursued a career in law where she has worked with many global startups and VC funds. When she is not being the legal eagle of the business, she loves to discover new restaurants, play football and travel.
An RCA graduate, Hong designed the podium for the 2012 London Olympics and joined ROLI to oversee the manufacturing and realization of the product vision. He loves 80s music, Matsuda Seiko and trying new things.
Mike is a software engineer and brings to ROLI his experience of developing video technologies and his academic background in music technology. He enjoys hiking in the mountains, particularly in his native Scotland where he has bagged 7 Munros in a single day.
With past industry experience in Lighting and Furniture design, John oversees the repair and refurbishment of ROLI products whilst also aiding with in-house prototyping and proof of concept hardware. A two time veteran of the Hackney half marathon, he’s also a keen hiker having visited both Tasmania and New Zealand.
With a BA in Japanese and an MA in international affairs, Tim worked as a human rights advocate before his passion for music technology led him to ROLI. Tim works with the CEO and Executive Office team, and he loves hiking, climbing and playing an analog modular synth.
With two degrees in logistics acquired in Paris, Nicolas contributes to the smooth running of the full end to end supply-chain operations at ROLI. You might also find him running through London or digging for some records to fill his collection.
A highly experienced embedded engineer who has designed over 60 instruments including award winning medical equipment, Murtaza brings a wealth of knowledge to the development of new products for ROLI. He enjoys playing bridge and badminton.
Formerly a professional contemporary dancer, Corey works to comprehensively cohere the ROLI community. He co-directs VT's Governor’s Institute on the Arts and is passionate about activism and the discourse related to issues of gender, race, non-human animals and social justice.
A music and tech enthusiast, Sherene leads the strategy for ROLI.COM and maintaining an exceptional customer experience for the brand’s online presence. You can often find her at concerts or dancing with friends around London.
With a BSc in Creative Music & Sound Technology and diverse professional experience, Chesney supports ROLI’s CEO. When not at ROLI he can be found performing with his band, exploring hidden corners of London, or learning about nature and science.
Daniel’s years of professional experience cover mechanical engineering, industrial design and entrepreneurship. Originally from San Francisco, he moved to London to attend the RCA and went on to start two design and technology companies in the UK. When time allows though, he loves time with the family, music and board sports.
A recent RCA Product Design graduate, Yu Kyung works with ROLI's product designers. For six years, she taught kids to sing and dance at a Sunday school, and she loves exploring London, cooking and making beautiful leather things.
With a degree in Sociology, Mimi is passionate about the study of culture, society and the power of human beings. She uses her knowledge to assist in the important task of growing the ROLI team. She also enjoys listening to R&B, crocheting and competing in dance-off competitions.
After many years of applying herself to studies, and with degrees in both History of Art and Molecular Biology, Sarah-Jane has spent a large part of her working years in wholesale logistics. When she's not at work, you can find her practising in her band, learning how to skateboard, or taking her dog for a walk.
When not answering support requests from his dog-filled office in Germany, Alex is writing and recording songs with Fallow Deer Fawn. He graduated from the University of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf with a diploma in social education and an MA in Culture, Aesthetics & Media.
An Ecuadorian designer/engineer now designing ROLI's spaces, Santiago helped perfect the production of the Seaboard's elastomer keywave. His designs use the physical and the digital to create playful, unexpected interactions and experiences.
With experience in everything from global branding to product design, Yuta works on design engineering, bringing innovative ideas to life. His philosophy is to always try to strike a balance between rigour and creativity.
For over 20 years, Jim has brought legendary gaming franchises to market including Halo 3, Half-Life, and Counter-Strike. He co-founded Jerry Bruckheimer’s games division, and was the founding GM for Zynga’s Seattle studio. He is excited to bring the art of gaming to the world of music as the VP of Product.
A background in civil engineering and a BSc and MA in musical instruments makes Sheldon uniquely suited to manage ROLI's internal operations systems. Sheldon likes to make acoustic instruments in his free time.
Originally from Greece, Niko's lived, studied and worked as a singer, percussionist and film composer in 4 different countries and speaks 4 languages. He now applies his skills to support and in his free time, practices Wing Chun with friends and writes music and reads alone.
Following a career as a professional footballer, Anthony remains enthusiastic about sport and wellbeing. Now with 20 years of sales experience, holding senior roles for various Sony divisions, he’s helping to build ROLI's success in to new international markets.
A multi-instrumentalist and composer, Jared uses his musical and technical background to ensure ROLI’s creators have a seamless software experience. He loves exploring musical styles from across the world and learning new instruments.
With years of experience in electronic music production and music technology, Lawrence now works to ensure ROLI and FXpansion products reach the highest possible standards. He enjoys composing, cycling long distances, and spending more time than perhaps necessary to make the perfect cup of coffee.
Jessica loves being outdoors (when the weather is nice), exploring new places, and is a keen festival goer. With a background in advertising production, she now puts her organizational skills to great use as part of the People Operations team at ROLI.
Making music and creating new sounds has always been Rafael’s passion. Encouraging the ROLI software development team for yet more features? if it means a better sound, it’s a must for Rafael.
Born and raised in London, Barry is a multi-instrumentalist with a degree in Software Engineering. As Product Owner, he's excited to help transform embryonic ideas into fully fledged products which revolutionize the experience of creating music.
After studying Computing at Imperial College, Heen became ROLI's first Product Demonstrator having now performed at The Royal Albert Hall and Abbey Road. He loves jamming, travelling and eating fried chicken.
Before completing his masters and PhD in anthropology, Matt studied sound engineering. He's traveled all over, including building a log cabin in an Alaskan forest. When not building or fixing things for ROLI he is probably riding his motorbike, pointing a camera at something or tattooing someone.
As a sound designer, recording artist and recent graduate from The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Purvi shares her knowledge and enthusiasm of technology with ROLI creators. She enjoys cultural diversity having lived in many cities, is always up for a challenging trek and can be found singing non-stop.
With a background fluctuating between music performance and software development, Dimitri now works as a Software Tester for ROLI. He likes playing the drums and baking sourdough bread.
Tim grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and brings an extensive background in consumer electronics and supply chain to his role as CFO at ROLI. When not working with innovative technology companies, he can usually be found traveling the world playing golf.
James is an experienced software engineer, multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer. His spare time is devoured by recording sessions at his nearby studio, learning how to fix esoteric analogue equipment and performing in the band Lola Colt.
A tech and start-up enthusiast, and music lover since she can remember, Amandine uses her Business Administration background as ROLI's Channel Marketing Manager. When she's not running along the canal training for her next marathon, you might catch her at a restaurant with friends or a gig in East London.
An experienced Electronic Engineer with award winning products under his belt, David strives to reach that perfect fusion of hardware and software for new ROLI designs. Still a Physicist at heart, he is driven by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to know what makes things tick.
After obtaining a Masters from Imperial College, Noora worked as an engineer, estimator, and entrepreneur in different parts of the world. Her diverse background led her to the intersection of data and product at ROLI. When she’s not teaching machines to learn, she designs hand-embroidered clothing for her social enterprise, Taita Leila.
With over twenty years experience in global manufacturing, supply chain and logistics in consumer electronics, Doug leads the ROLI Manufacturing Team. He spends any spare time he can find playing with his Great Pyrenees dogs, blowing glass and recreating the fighting arts of the Middle Ages.
With wide-ranging technical experience primarily in software QA and development, Makiko leads ROLI’s Software QA team and is passionate about making continuous improvements for better quality. She is a classically trained pianist and loves playing the violin in a chamber music group as a learner.
After 15 years touring the world as Keyboard Technician for artists such as Britney Spears, Lionel Richie and Leonard Cohen, Dan now leads ROLI customer support team. He still tinkers with modular synthesisers and loves physics and cosmology.
After spending his younger years teaching guitar at a music school in his native Wolverhampton, Tom graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with an MSc in Audio Programming. He joined the web team at ROLI after a role as a QA Engineer at FXpansion.
With a creative and technical background in the games industry, Lewis now puts that to use while testing ROLI software. He’s a composer with a passion for exploring how people can experience and interact with music.
An avid outdoorsman, Danny has taught whitewater kayaking and guided wilderness trips in the Northeast and Alaska and is now dedicated to maintaining the smooth flow of ROLI's sales process. He once paddled alone down the length of the Grand Canyon.
Ian was selected to exhibit at the New Designers exhibition in London in 2015 with a new product and service proposal for sterilising baby feeding bottles. He can be found creating a touch of sustain on his guitar and has performed at the likes of Latitude and the Great Escape Festivals.
A classically trained violinist, Catriona grew up in the Winelands of South Africa. After completing a master's in Sociology at Goldsmiths, she jumped into the world of start-ups at a 3D printing company. She is an avid hiker and an enthusiastic cook.
With a diverse background in software development, encompassing a PhD in computational quantum mechanics, big data collection frameworks and audio processing algorithms, Tom brings multifaceted expertise to the JUCE team. Before joining ROLI he was developing audio plug-ins at Fielding DSP and creating atomistic simulations of materials. Outside of work you can find Tom up a mountain or in the sea.
As an experienced carpenter and electronics enthusiast, with early works that include building The XX their interactive stage light-boxes, Jack divides his time improving ROLIs’ dynamic spaces and helping to build, test and develop ROLI’s ground - breaking products. He has a lifelong obsession with rhythm and aims to be as ambidextrous at ROLI as he is with the drums.
Xorge has fifteen years of experience in engineering. He is passionate about design, manufacturing and creating groundbreaking products. Xorge is also a salsa dancer and has a black belt in karate.
A professional trombonist and singer, Elizabeth has performed globally and on TV shows like American Idol. She now creates opportunities to unite the US music and technology communities and loves learning about food and culture.
Shantha has a diverse background spanning climate change in government to consultancy to Dyson. At Dyson, he led the company’s first strategy team and latterly oversaw sales and marketing across Europe. He has a PhD in Molecular Biology, and is trustee of a sustainable energy charity. He loves cooking (mostly) curry.