The CEO of underwater comms company Subnero on the future of navigating the world's deepest oceans
I am Generation T is a series of quick-fire Q&As with some of the extraordinary individuals on the Gen.T List.
Manu Ignatius is CEO of Subnero, a Singapore-based company that provides high-performance, wireless underwater communication, navigation, monitoring and sensing solutions to environmental, defence and oil and gas companies.
Growing up in Kerala, a coastal state of India, Ignatius had the ocean on his doorstep. He went on to complete an undergraduate degree in electronics and communication engineering, and now combines those subjects with his passion for the ocean. He talks to Gen.T about disruption, ambition and the book that changed his life.
See also: I Am Generation T: Mica F Tan
Your area of work is particularly niche. What sparked your interest?
Growing up I was often around rivers and the ocean as a kid, and I enjoyed spending time in the rivers and on the beaches. Then eventually I moved to Singapore to do my Masters, and around that area there’s lots of really nice diving spots, so naturally that piqued my interest and immediately I got my diving certification. The underwater world is very, very different to what we see in our day-to-day life; it’s just so colourful and it’s fascinating. I also take a lot of photos; I’ve been taking photos for the last 15 to 20 years, and I’ve gotten into underwater photography too.
I did my Master’s in computer engineering with a focus on wireless networks, and then I eventually combined that with my love for the ocean and marine science to work as a research engineer at the Acoustic Research Laboratory.
What are your current priorities as CEO of Subnero?
I was there at the start of Subnero’s journey and all the way through as we’ve grown. Our vision at Subnero is to be the de facto standard for underwater communication and networks—essentially, we want to provide all solutions for communication and networking.
I currently manage Subnero’s business activities across diverse sectors including defence, subsea engineering, water utilities and academia. I am responsible for organisational development including recruiting and building a world-class team, and leading the firm’s scalability initiatives.