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.
With a classical and jazz education in Vienna, Ester is a multi-genre instrumentalist. She recently graduated from Berklee College Of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production and loves to perform and produce music. In her spare time, she enjoys biking along the beach, discovering good food and creating music.
Already listed as an inventor on a patent in the EU and the US, Chris’ work focusses on the development of software and electronics for ROLI's next products. He has been DJing on vinyl turntables since he was a teenager.
Paul joined ROLI from FXpansion where he built many step sequencers. He is now involved with the development of ROLI's innovative projects as well as supporting previous FXpansion projects. He is passionate about Formula 1 and model trains.
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.
Previously a chef in locations ranging from hotels to restaurants and even street food, Raeann now helps keep us fed and happy at ROLI. Raeann also has had great experience as a pastry chef and enjoys baking at home for family and friends.
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.
A background in civil engineering and a BSc and MA in musical instruments makes Sheldon uniquely suited to produce the Seaboard GRAND elastomer keywaves. Sheldon also loves to noodle away on his guitar late into the night.
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.
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.
Having studied Music, Music Therapy, and Audio Engineering, Brian puts this knowledge to good use. His sound design has been featured on The Discovery Channel, and he has spent seventeen years in sales, marketing and product management with MI and Pro AV companies such as Yamaha/Steinberg.
Famed for his work with Dream Theater, Jordan is an avid music technologist who pioneers the development of innovative music hardware. He was recently voted the greatest keyboard player of all time in a poll conducted by MusicRadar.
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.
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.
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.
Danielle is a multidisciplinary designer who loves designing beautiful, clean and user-friendly interfaces for all devices. She gets excited about new typography, colour fascinates her and she is always inspired by beautiful photography. She enjoys travelling, baking and crocheting.
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.
Before he was old enough to enter a club, Vlad was DJing. He now relies on this passion for music as he works with ROLI's software development team on anything from user interfaces to digital audio algorithms. He loves deep house music.
Part of ROLI's production team with experience in the lighting and furniture design industry, John's responsible for spraying and casting the Seaboard’s unique elastomer keywave. He loves the outdoors and multi-day hikes.
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.
Hailing from Sydney, Australia and currently completing his Masters in Business Administration in Technology, Jimmy works with our logistics team to ensure the safe travel of all our products worldwide. An avid music producer, he enjoys searching and sampling old records and is also a big Los Angeles Lakers fan.
A musician and performer who has played festivals ranging from Coachella to Lollapalooza, Brian now develops ROLI and Blend's artist communities. When he is home he loves to make films with his friends, and cook food for his family.
An Ecuadorian designer/engineer now designing ROLI's spaces, Santi 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.
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 10 years experience at various tech start-ups, Donna now keeps our London office humming. When not in the office, she is usually hunting for the best cupcakes London has to offer.
With a degree in Musical Instrument Technology, she co-founded FXpansion with Angus Hewlett and SKoT McDonald. She brings a passion for innovative music technology to the ROLI team and extensive experience of managing cross-functional product delivery. She loves to free-motion quilt in her spare time.
With degrees in Accounting and Finance, Andy helps with the smooth operation of ROLI’s accounting and transactional functions. He enjoys playing tennis and football and has a severe case of wanderlust. Having a keen interest in mobile application development, Andy enjoys working on his own projects in his spare time.
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.
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.
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 graduating from the RCA, Federico joined ROLI's design team looking at future product development. He prides himself on being able to travel anywhere with just a backpack and is obsessed with anything with two wheels.
Jan has dabbled with film, writing, podcasts, graphic design and photography. He's worked for the likes of The Big Draw, Vinspired and The Whitechapel Gallery to create record marketing and social media campaigns. He enjoys working for ROLI in order to tell stories and bring more creativity to the world.
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.
Having extensive experience in education, science marketing, and as a brand manager in music technology, Konstantin is now the driving force behind ROLI’s education initiatives and user learning experience. He loves his dog Hugo, produces techno music in his spare time and runs his own record label.
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 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.
Trained as an anthropologist, Tahmima is an award-winning writer. She also writes a column for the International New York Times. She sits on the board of ROLI, coordinates senior recruitment, and heads woman-forward initiatives to the ROLI team and beyond.
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.
After attaining a PhD in theoretical physics, Henrik held strategic and operational roles at McKinsey and LEGO as well as B&O PLAY. With skills that range from hard mathematics to creative marketing of LEGO building tools, Henrik is a natural leader of ROLI’s multidisciplinary team of engineers, designers, coders, marketers, and musicians.
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.
After completing an MPhys at the University of Leeds, Harry trained as a chef at a seasonal UK restaurant in Covent Garden before joining Mary in ROLI's kitchen, preparing amazing lunches daily. He also initiated the inaugural ROLI Records.
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.
With vast experience in commercial and strategic finance, Penelope has enjoyed a varied life with roles taking her across the world, including Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. A qualified Chartered Management Accountant, Penelope enhances ROLI's financial controls. She enjoys hiking and military fitness.
Former pit master at some of London’s leading BBQ restaurants, Sam can now be found making innovative vegetarian cuisine in our kitchen. A lifelong collector of records, Sam has been lucky enough to share his love of electronic music at a number of highly acclaimed international parties and festivals.
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.
Joining ROLI from the travel industry, Charles brings with him not only sales experience but a passion for building systems and a sales infrastructure. He also plays bass in a 10-piece funk band and is a skilled snowboarder.
With nearly ten years audio engineering experience, Michael has been developing expansion packs for FXpansion's BFD software, carrying out Quality Assurance testing, and creating product audio demos. When not bringing these skills to bear at ROLI, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, playing the guitar and cricket.
Bekah is a keen carpenter, particularly enjoying large-scale timber-frame building projects. She helped build an award-winning, elements-battling studio on the Isle of Skye, but is also experienced in joinery, and does whatever it takes to make the ROLI spaces as slick as can be. When away from ROLI, Bekah is studying for an MA in Law.
A graduate of the RCA and Imperial College’s MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering, Sol works with ROLI’s designers to create beautifully crafted products. In her spare time, Sol loves travelling to Korea and Germany, her beloved home countries.
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.
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.
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