Hoptroff Further Strengthens Executive Team With New Chief Operating Officer

Executive Team Expansion

Hoptroff, the London-headquartered provider of traceable precision timing solutions, today announced a further strengthening of its executive team with the appointment of Paul Birkin as Chief Operating Officer. The appointment follows Elaine Bucknor and Alex Visram joining the business as Chair and Non-Executive Director in October last year.

Engineering Depth and Scaling Experience

Paul brings a wealth of experience in scaling companies, complemented by a strong engineering background developed over two decades at Shell and BP. Most recently, he was COO of shipping software company Ninety Percent of Everything, a business he also co-founded.

Joining at a Pivotal Moment

“It is exciting to join Hoptroff at such a pivotal moment in its journey”, said Birkin. “As governments continue to mandate resilient and traceable time across critical national infrastructure, the opportunity to join the industry leader for its next phase of growth was extremely compelling. I look forward to leading our technology and customer success teams, while also learning from the unrivalled timing experts across the business.”

Operational Leadership for the Next Phase of Growth

In his role, Paul will focus on further evolving Hoptroff’s scalable operating model, refining delivery into a world-class function, and preparing Hoptroff for its next phase of growth. He’ll support us in continuing to foster a high-performance culture and achieving operational excellence across the business.

CEO Statement

Tim Richards, Chief Executive Officer, Hoptroff, added: “Paul’s addition to our executive team reflects our commitment to attracting experienced leaders who can apply their expertise to support the continued development of our business. His guidance will be instrumental as we execute our global strategy and build momentum into the year ahead.”

Market Recognition and Strategic Partnerships

Hoptroff came highly recommended in the UK Department for Business & Trade’s 2025 “Made in the UK, Sold to the World” Awards last year, explicitly identifying precision timing as addressing global infrastructure vulnerabilities. In December last year, the business signed partnerships with the London Stock Exchange Group and IBM to provide accurate, precision timing to financial markets and cloud environments, respectively.