Since 2006 the Cascade Engineering team has grown and diversified, bringing experience and expertise that reaches across many sectors and disciplines.

Cascade Team

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Ben Barrass

MD
Ben is Cascade Engineering’s MD and has over 30 years’ experience within the structural engineering industry. He worked within BAE Systems to support their Harrier/AV-8B programme and subsequently provided invaluable consultancy within Boeing and Airbus.

Ben’s expertise helped form the core foundation of the Fixed Trailing Edge of the A350XWB-900 on behalf of GE Aviation and his specialisms include static and fatigue stress analysis as well as finite element modelling.

Whilst continuing to expand his approval capabilities and accreditations, Ben is responsible for keeping the team motivated and skills-focused through first class continual professional development.
Rob Harborne

Rob Harborne

Technical Director
Rob is a professional engineer with nearly 35 years’ experience in aerospace structural analysis and is the Technical Director at Cascade Engineering. He has played a key role in the analysis and testing of a range of structural aerospace projects for BAE Systems, Airbus and Boeing among many.

He applied his extensive knowledge to supporting the development of the Fixed Trailing Edge of the A350XWB-900 for GE Aviation and his interests lie with composite structures, static analysis and finite element modelling. He also enjoys supporting a diverse team of engineers to bring projects from concept to fruition.
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Gren Williamson

Engineering Sales Manager
Gren joined Cascade from Aquila Nuclear Engineering, where he was Senior Engineering Manager for Strategic Delivery, a role that included managing continuous improvement and establishing partnerships and strategic relationships for both existing projects and future delivery. Gren started his career as an aerospace structural engineer, after graduating from Aston University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also holds an MBA from Aston Business School. His work has been across a variety of leading companies including GKN Westland Aerospace, GE Aviation, BAE Systems Maritime Naval Ships, and Pall Aerospace. At Cascade, Gren works across our current projects and takes a leading role in driving the company’s growth in other sectors.
cascade team member Funsho Griffin

Funsho Griffin

Programme Manager
Funsho has a strong background in project management across the aerospace, satellite communications, smart building and construction industries. With a keen interest in technology-driven project management – especially in agile methodologies, innovation and generative AI in practice – Funsho will be responsible for our project management function to ensure successful project delivery across our portfolio. In his spare time, Funsho enjoys running, working out and playing football and, on non-office days, is happiest working from a good café!
Nick Howarth

Nick Howarth

Operations Manager
Nick is an experienced stress engineer with experience across multiple sectors. He specialises in simulation software and analysis. Nick has worked on flagship projects including with Airbus and is a key member of our team. He also covers our day-to-day operations management. When not at work Nick is an outdoor sports enthusiast.  A keen rock climber, cyclist and now sea kayaker, he is also the chairman of his local canoe club. He is an advocate for energy efficient technology.
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Tony Hart

Head of Design
Tony is our Head of Design and has significant experience across many platforms. As with many of us at Cascade he spent many years on the Harrier programme and brings significant expertise and a detailed approach to our projects. Outside work Tony is a big home-build car enthusiast. He currently has two kit cars: a Quantum and a Stylus and can often be found driving one or the other through the byways of the UK on a road trip.
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Shazad Ali

Senior Stress Engineer
Shazad is a Senior Stress Engineer with more than 20 years of experience working on both composites and metallics for commercial and defence programmes, including aircraft, submarines, unmanned air vehicles and space satellites. Shazad has also worked in the nuclear energy sector, and is particularly interested in the role of composites in new designs and modification projects. In his spare time, Shazad, along with his two sons, is a keen F1 fan, and also enjoys DIY.
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Jim Mawson

Senior Structure Analyst
Jim is a Loughborough University engineering graduate, who has held engineering, team lead and management positions. most recently for Wood, a global leader in construction and engineering in the energy market. Jim joined Cascade in 2022 as a Senior Structure Analyst with a strong understanding of what’s needed to deliver successful complex engineering projects. Jim is particularly interested in aircraft and analysis methodologies and thrives on problem solving and developing technical solutions. In his spare time, Jim enjoys drumming and riding motorbikes!
cascade team member Olivia Billington

Olivia Billington

Advanced Structures Engineer
Olivia joins us from Aerospace Design Facilities where she was a design engineer after graduating with a BEng in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Central Lancashire. She is driven by a passion to find innovative design solutions to improve performance and efficiency in structural design and analysis. When not working, Olivia enjoys running, reading and painting.
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Alex Dyne

Mechanical Design Engineer
Starting as an apprentice fitter at British Aerospace, Alex worked on Hawks and Harriers from final assembly through to flight test. He moved into civil aircraft and worked for the Alan Mann Group modifying aircraft and helicopters. After taking an HND in Aeronautical engineering, Alex started focusing on modification design, working for several EASA 21 J design companies in the UK and UAE. Alex’s last role was designing radios and antenna for the new discrete radio system for the UK’s emergency services. He spends his free time either on his trail bike or mountain bike somewhere off-road in south-east England!
cascade team member Nabin Gurung

Nabin Gurung

Design Engineer
Nabin has more than 10 years’ experience as a Mechanical Design Engineer, primarily working in aerospace. His expertise covers optimising designs for performance and manufacture, weight-saving initiatives and engineering changes to accelerate production timelines. Nabin is passionate about using advanced materials and techniques to develop lighter, stronger and more cost-effective solutions. In his spare time, Nabin organises and manages weekly football matches for his local community club, and enjoys hiking in the hills.
Olivier Atadokpede

Olivier Atadokpede

Advanced Structural Engineer
Olivier joined Cascade from Caeli Nova, where he was a Graduate Design Engineer. Olivier, who has an MSc in Aerospace Vehicle Design from Cranfield University and an MSc in Mechanical Design and Industrialisation from EIGSI (La Rochelle, France), supports our work on structural design and analysis activities. These include FE models, stress analysis, CAD modelling and engineering drawings. Olivier is particularly interested in aircraft structures, aviation, science documentary, challenges addressing sustainability and product optimisation. In his spare time, he likes running, football, urban dance and travelling.
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