Meet Martin Kadlecek, head of global calibration

He tells us more about what inspired him to follow a career in engineering and what makes Ricardo a great place to work.  

Tell us more about you and your background?  

My interest in engineering started at a very young age. I was fascinated by sports cars and their high-performance engines. By the age of 7 or 8 I already knew I wanted to work in the automotive industry.  

Growing up, I was fortunate to be surrounded by passionate engineers. My father regularly involved me in his projects, from building motorcycles and designing farm equipment to repairing machinery on our family farm. After finishing high school, I didn’t even think about studying anything else other than automotive engineering at Czech Technical University, where I completed a master’s degree in automotive engineering, specialising in combustion engine development.  

During my studies, I gained my first professional experience at the Centre of Sustainable Mobility, where I was responsible for FE analysis of components for a pre-chamber ignition engine project. A bit later, I joined Škoda Auto as an engine designer but soon realised that design engineering was not the career path I wanted to follow long term. An opportunity arose within the Engine Testing department, which proved to be a great fit and provided valuable experience. 

A couple of years later, I was offered a job at Ricardo as calibration engineer, and I’ve been with the business for almost ten years now – starting by supporting various projects remotely from Prague and working my way up to become a manager in the global calibration team.

Can you explain a bit more about your job at Ricardo, your key responsibilities, and areas of expertise? 

I currently manage Ricardo’s global calibration team. My responsibilities include both people leadership and technical project delivery. A key part of my role is ensuring we have the right resources and expertise in place to successfully deliver projects to the highest quality standards. I also focus on developing our team’s capabilities so that we can continue to meet evolving client needs and stay ahead in a highly competitive industry. In addition, I serve as one of Ricardo’s key contacts for Euro 7 development activities.

While management occupies most of my time, I always reserve some time to remain involved in project delivery, most recently as a project chief engineer.

What's the most enjoyable part about your job and working at Ricardo? 

The most enjoyable part of my job is variety of responsibilities, tasks, projects, and customers. Every day and every project are different so it’s really difficult to get bored. 

What truly makes Ricardo special, however, is the people. I have the privilege of working alongside exceptionally talented, knowledgeable, and dedicated colleagues from around the world.

The collaborative culture and willingness of people to support one another is something I greatly value and believe is unique to Ricardo. 

What challenges are Ricardo helping its customers and the industry find solutions for?  

Ricardo supports customers in addressing a wide range of challenges across propulsion system development and calibration. 

Our expertise includes, but is not limited to, turnkey model-year calibration programmes for global markets, development activities to meet evolving emissions legislation such as Euro 7, expert support for production issue investigation and resolution, as well as development and certification of advanced new propulsion systems. 

As the industry continues to evolve rapidly, we help our customers navigate increasingly demanding requirements while delivering performance, efficiency, and reliability.

What are your aspirations for the future, and your career?  

I very much enjoy my current role and remain motivated to continue developing both my leadership and technical capabilities. There is always room to learn and improve, and I want to ensure I can provide the best possible support to my team and our customers.

Looking ahead, I would like to see Ricardo’s calibration team continue to grow, take on exciting and technically challenging projects, and maintain a culture that encourages learning, collaboration, and professional development. Most importantly, I want it to remain a team where people support each other and can achieve success together.

Any other thoughts? 

My time with Ricardo has been great so far. I have had the opportunity to work on fascinating projects, collaborate with outstanding colleagues, and continuously develop my skills. I look forward to what the future holds.