Chris Curry

Christopher Curry began his career at Pye, the Royal Radar Establishment and W. R. Grace Laboratories. In April 1966 he joined Sinclair Radionics, where he worked for thirteen years. His responsibilities ranged across hi-fi equipment and calculators, and he helped launch the Sinclair Executive calculator in 1972.

When Clive Sinclair wanted a separate operation for new ventures, Curry established Science of Cambridge and managed the launch of the MK14 microcomputer kit. The experience convinced him that affordable microcomputers had a much larger future. In late 1978 he formed Cambridge Processor Unit with Hermann Hauser; Acorn Computers followed as the consumer-facing company, with Curry, Hauser and Andy Hopper among its founders.

Acorn's early machines included the System 1 and the Atom. Curry recognised the opportunity presented by the BBC Computer Literacy Project and helped secure the meeting that led to the BBC Micro. Launched in 1981, the machine became a fixture in British schools and made Acorn one of the country's best-known computer companies. Curry also championed the lower-cost Acorn Electron.

Alongside Acorn, Curry co-founded Redwood Publishing in 1983. After leaving Acorn in 1985, he founded General Information Systems, which developed the Transactor smart-card payment system. His career links the formative years of both Sinclair and Acorn and places him at the centre of Britain's early personal-computer industry.