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In Driving Innovation, Simon Khesin shares his extraordinary path from Moscow engineer to global account manager at Schmoll Maschinen. His story spans risk, reinvention, and resilience—from designing drilling machines to starting over in Germany—and celebrates the freedom to create and the power of staying adaptable in a changing world.
Simon is one of our newest PCB007 columnists. In this interview, we learn there's more to Simon than a technical degree.
It is great to have your perspective and expertise. Where were you born and raised, and where did you go to school?
I was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1989 and raised there, through my time at university. I studied at Bauman Moscow State Technical University, where my major was Machine Building in Electronic Technologies. My focus was on becoming a designer of machinery for both PCB production and the semiconductor industry. For my diploma work, I designed a two-spindle drilling machine intended for creating base holes in inner layers, which were to be used for inner layer alignment before lamination.
That is an impressive senior project. How did you end up in this industry specifically?
I asked my university tutor if he could recommend where I should start working in the industry. He introduced me to the CEO of a company that served as a dealer for many European, Asian, U.S., and Israeli OEMs in Russia. This company supplied complete PCB shops, along with all the necessary materials and chemistry.
To continue reading this interview, which originally appeared in the November 2025 edition of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
