Andy Harter
{{short description|British computer scientist (born 1961)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox scientist
|image = Andy Harter.jpg
|birth_name = Andrew Charles Harter
|image_size = 200px
|caption =
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|DL|FREng|CEng|FIET|FBCS|CITP|FRSA}}
|name = Andy Harter
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1961|4|5}}
|birth_place = Yorkshire, England
|death_date =
|death_place =
|field = {{ubl|Computer Science|Software Engineering}}
|work_institutions = {{ubl|University of Cambridge|RealVNC}}
|education = Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
|alma_mater = University of Cambridge (MA PhD)
|doctoral_advisor = Andy Hopper
|thesis_title = Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuit Layout
|thesis_url = https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511666384
|thesis_year = 1990
|doctoral_students =
|known_for = Virtual Network Computing
|author_abbrev_bot =
|author_abbrev_zoo =
|influences =
|influenced =
|prizes = {{ubl|Turing Lecture (2018)|Faraday Medal (2016)|MacRobert Award (2013)|Silver Medal (2010)}}
|religion =
|footnotes =
}}
Andrew Charles Harter (born 5 April 1961 in Yorkshire, England) is a British computer scientist, best known as the founder of RealVNC, where he was CEO until March 2018.
Education and early life
Born in Yorkshire in 1961, Harter attended the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield. He went on to the University of Cambridge, where he studied Mathematics and Computer Science as an undergraduate student of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge{{cite web|url=http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/alumni/publications/optima|title=Optima, Issue 17|year=2011|publisher=Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge|access-date=30 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110514164444/http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/alumni/publications/optima| archive-date= 14 May 2011 | url-status= live}} and a postgraduate student of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. His doctoral thesis,{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=http://ulmss-newton.lib.cam.ac.uk/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=9303|doi=10.1017/CBO9780511666384|title=Three-dimensional integrated circuit layout|first= Andrew Charles|last=Harter|date=1990|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.335724}}|website=lib.cam.ac.uk|oclc=321015651|hdl=|isbn=9780511666384|url-access=subscription}} supervised by Andy Hopper, was judged the best UK Computer Science dissertation of 1990.
Career and research
Harter is probably best known for Virtual Network Computing (VNC), a ubiquitous remote access technology he developed in the mid 90s. He founded RealVNC in 2002 and was its chief executive until March 2018. In prior years he worked on embedding the technology in Google and Intel products. Under his leadership, in 2013 the company received its third Queen's Awards for Enterprise[http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Prizesandawards/QueensAwardforEnterprise.aspx "The Queen's Awards for Enterprise"] in three years[http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/realvnc-wins-third-queen-s-award-in-three-years/ "RealVNC wins third Queen’s Award in three years"] and he was named the Cambridge Businessman of the Year in 2011.[http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Video-News/Video-of-the-day-Gala-night-at-Business-Excellence-Awards.htm "Cambridge Business Excellence Awards 2011"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028061133/http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Video-News/Video-of-the-day-Gala-night-at-Business-Excellence-Awards.htm |date=28 October 2011 }}> Harter was elected a Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge in 2001[https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2017-18/special/02/ "Fellows of the Colleges"] and appointed a visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory in 2002.
=Awards and honours=
In 2002 he was elected a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET), where he served as a trustee between 2014 and 2017.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theiet.org/about/people/trustees/ |title=Trustee Board - IET |access-date=18 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930231739/https://www.theiet.org/about/people/trustees/ |archive-date=30 September 2018 |url-status=dead }} In 2010 he was awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal Academy of Engineering{{Cite web |url=http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=569 |title=Top Cambridge engineer wins Academy Silver Medal |access-date=13 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214012034/http://raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=569 |archive-date=14 December 2011 |url-status=dead }} in recognition of an outstanding and sustained contribution to software engineering and commercialisation and in 2013 he led the team that won the academy's prestigious MacRobert Award.[http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=873 "Software company RealVNC wins UK's premier engineering prize"] In 2011 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng),{{Cite web |url=http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=672 |title=Academy celebrates a new President and 59 new Fellows |access-date=27 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402150556/http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=672 |archive-date=2 April 2012 |url-status=dead }} where he served as a trustee between 2013 and 2016.[http://www.raeng.org.uk/about-us/people-council-committees/council-and-committees/trustee-board "Trustee Board – Royal Academy of Engineering"] In 2014 he was appointed Chair of the Cambridge Network[https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/cambridge-network-welcomes-andy-harter-as-new-chair/ "Cambridge Network welcomes Andy Harter as new Chair"] and in 2015 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Anglia Ruskin University[https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/internationally-renowned-engineer-dr-of-science/ "Internationally renowned engineer is made a Doctor of Science"] and also became a trustee of The Centre for Computing History. In 2016 he was awarded the Faraday Medal, the most prestigious award of the IET.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/dr-andy-harter-awarded-the-prestigious-iet-faraday-medal/ |title=Dr Andy Harter awarded the prestigious IET Faraday Medal |access-date=20 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930231859/https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/dr-andy-harter-awarded-the-prestigious-iet-faraday-medal/ |archive-date=30 September 2018 |url-status=dead }}
Harter was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to engineering.{{London Gazette|issue=61962|supp=y|page=B8|date=17 June 2017}} He delivered the Turing Lecture in February 2018, and in March 2018 became the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire. In 2019, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.[https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/news/lord-lieutenant-of-cambridgeshire-appoints-new-deputies/ Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire appoints new deputies]
References
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Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Category:Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Category:British computer scientists
Category:Deputy lieutenants of Cambridgeshire
Category:Fellows of the British Computer Society
Category:Fellows of the Institution of Engineering and Technology
Category:Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Category:Fellows of St Edmund's College, Cambridge
Category:High sheriffs of Cambridgeshire
Category:Members of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory