Theodore Lerios

Engineering Manager and product innovator with a proven record leading design and

manufacture teams across Australia, New Zealand, and China. Started and scaled businesses

from age 10 with Dad, progressing to ownership and sale of a tech company before earning a

PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Extensive experience in project delivery, P&L management,

reliability engineering, and cross-functional leadership. Very passionate about building high

performance teams and driving strategic growth.

I started my career as an entrepreneur, founding and growing a tech services business in New Zealand before selling it to focus on engineering. Today, I lead engineering teams at Grabba Technologies, delivering rugged biometric and defence products for global clients and driving cultural and operational improvements. Previously, I managed reliability programmes and cross-functional teams at SKOPE, implementing AI-driven solutions for major brands. I also have experience in IoT SaaS development, securing research funding, and mentoring teams through R&D and commercialisation.

I completed a PhD in Mechanical Engineering focused on the mechanics of respiratory illness, publishing novel research that advanced understanding of airflow dynamics and tissue interaction in diseased lungs. My work combined experimental methods and computational modelling to uncover insights that inform medical device design and treatment strategies.