Alan Barrell
Alan Barrell has spent almost 30 years in senior executive positions in technology based industries and has become one of Cambridge's most articulate promoters of entrepreneurship. He is a founder shareholder in Library House, Entrepreneur in Residence at the University's Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning and Visiting Professor of Enterprise at the University Of Bedfordshire School Of Graduate Business Studies. He is Visiting Professor at Xiamen University in China and Senior Enterprise Fellow, University of Essex. Recently appointed as International Fellow, Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, he is also Chairman of Health Enterprise East Ltd, an organisation seeking to exploit innovative inventions, processes and procedures in the National Health Service within the Eastern Region.
Following a scientific training, he worked around the world with Baxter Healthcare and was its Chief Executive for six years. Subsequently, he joined Domino Printing Sciences as Managing Director, following which, after six years, he joined Willett International, an industrial electronics company, and was its CEO, building its international business into a major success.
He was instrumental in launching the Cambridge Gateway Fund to fund early stage technology businesses in the region and is involved with a number of charities including the Papworth Trust, the RSA, the Centre for Tomorrow's Company and The Prince's Trust. He has also chaired the Cambridge Enterprise Conference and works closely with a number of Science Parks and Innovation Centres in Cambridge, elsewhere in the UK and overseas. He received The Queen's Award in 2006 for Enterprise Promotion.
Alan is based in Cambridge, UK.
Arno Roy
Arno graduated from the University of Bristol, UK, in 1976, with an Honours Degree in Chemical Physics. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, and then worked in the UK and Switzerland for Philip Morris Inc and Gerald Metals, in audit and financial management roles.
From 1990 to 1995, he worked for a technology-driven medical device subsidiary of Pfizer, where he directed a SBU, was also Director of Finance and Administration, and then General Manager. From 1995 to 2000, Arno worked for Unisys Europe, where he was responsible for several joint ventures and acquisitions, and devised and implemented a three year strategic plan as Director, Corporate Strategy and Development, Europe. He then joined Exigen Europe as CFO, where he was responsible for creating the company’s infrastructure, market strategy, and group management development.
Arno is now based near Geneva, Switzerland, from where he has been providing corporate finance and strategic advisory services to European businesses. Arno also sits on the Board of five International and Swiss companies.
Chris Gare
Chris Gare is currently very active as an advisor to innovative high-tech companies in the telecommunications, Internet and semiconductor industries. In 2000 he co-founded Nexagent, a company focusing on the automation of IP-based multi-provider network services that was acquired by EDS (HP) in 2008. Before Nexagent, Chris worked eight years at Cable & Wireless' Group Technology team as Vice President, Advanced Services and pioneered and championed early IP service and application deployment in its business units around the world. These included MPLS-based IP-VPNs, VoIP, mobile data services, interactive TV, wireless access services, home networks and softswitch IP-PSTN integration.
Prior to joining Cable & Wireless, he spent seven years as Corporate Marketing Director with European Silicon Structures (ES2), a European ASIC company. Chris also worked a number of years in the PC software industry where he was European Managing Director for Perfect Software, the first company to bundle personal productivity tools with PCs. Before this, he opened Microsoft's first European office and served as European Managing Director.
Chris worked for Texas Instruments and Motorola Semiconductors in microprocessor product marketing and sales roles. He started his hi-tech career in the early 1970s in ICL's Advanced Technology Laboratory where he evaluated Intel’s first dynamic memories and microprocessors. Chris graduated with Honours in Physical Electronics from Rutherford College of Technology and has been a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) since 1986.
Chris is based in Farnborough, UK.
David Coates
David Coates is currently interim Head of Knowledge Exchange at the Technology Strategy Board where he has been responsible for Knowledge Transfer Networks and the Knowledge Transfer partnership programme. He is currently building the networking communities on _connect and is involved in the enterprise activities of the Technology Strategy Board. Also, he is an associate of Growth Agenda.
David has a PhD in materials science; is a Fellow of the RSA and an independent management consultant. His expertise lies in combining process consultancy, innovation and relationship marketing, which gives me added depth and insight to strategic innovation and branding. Also, he has been involved in a number of programmes looking at the impact of innovation and technology on society over a twenty-five year timeframe, to 2030.
Prior to becoming an independent consultant, and an associate of a number of innovation consultancies, he was a founder of the branding consultancy, Indigo Partners. Also, he has held senior positions with organisations such as PA Consulting, Scientific Generics and Identica-Generics.
David’s early career was with the Ministry of Defence and De Beers Industrial Diamond Division where he carried out research in a number of fields, such as optimizing materials for rocket motors and the manufacture of diamond composite drilling and cutting tools.
Dr Geraldine Kenney-Wallace
Geraldine Kenney-Wallace stepped down in 2009 as Group Director New Ventures at City & Guilds Group, having founded and grown the successful digital-media business to 18% of Group turnover of £103m in 2008. She is now a company director working with technology based businesses, including media and the arts.
Formerly she was a Managing Director of British Aerospace plc, responsible for corporate R&D labs, and founding Vice-Chancellor of the Virtual University of BAESystems for four years (1997 - 2001), a pioneering business strategy to align and integrate R&D and e-learning to accelerate and embed the new lean manufacturing, avionic and information technologies. In 2000, the founding VU won the USA Corporate Excellence Award for Innovation, co-sponsored by the Financial Times. She also brings considerable international business experience in USA, Europe and Asia and held nine non-executive Board Directorships in North American multinational companies in the telecomms, financial service, IT, aerospace, nuclear energy, pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors (1990 - 2000) and three Prime Ministerial Boards. Having chaired a Venture Capital Fund for new technology based businesses in the 1990's she was also a member of the UK Engineering Technology Board's Wealth Creation Group (2003 - 2006) which issued two public reports to Treasury to influence investment in innovation and early start-ups. A member of Innovation Investment Committee (and spin-off companies) for Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (1999 - 2004), she presently sits on the Court of Imperial (2006 - 2010).
Born in London, Dr Geraldine Kenney-Wallace was educated in the UK and Europe, worked in Physics research groups at the Atomic Energy Authority Harwell and Oxford University, undertook postgraduate studies in USA and Canada, and held Professorships (Physics and Chemistry) at Yale University, University of Toronto, as well as visiting faculty positions at Stanford University and Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. She was President and Vice-Chancellor of the research intensive McMaster University, Canada (1990 - 1995), Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, (1989) and received many international awards for her pioneering ultrafast laser research and for her public policy work on innovation.
Geraldine is based in London.
Greg Glass
Greg has eighteen years sales experience in Financial Services, I.T., Media & Publishing and General Industry in the U.K., Northern Europe, North America and Australasia. He has specialist skills in the commercial development of internet-enabled products and businesses particularly the implementation of strategic selling programs to create key sales as a Partner at Mathias and Co Inc., a New York based consultancy. Long term clients in this role include HSBC, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Deutsche Bank, ABN AMRO and NIBC. Previously, Greg was Marketing Director at E*Trade UK focusing on Brand Development, Customer Acquisition, Development and Retention, New Product Development. Prior to E*Trade, he led product development for Electronic Share Information (E.S.I.),UK’s first internet only market data service for investors that was acquired by E*Trade. Greg also held various Marketing roles in New Zealand prior to establishing himself in the UK.
Greg has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Canterbury University, New Zealand.
James van Oosterom
A Cambridge law graduate and qualified barrister, James gained an MBA from Cranfield Business School before starting out on a career in interactive electronic services.
James has eighteen years experience gained in a wide range of senior management and consulting positions in the information industry, including online services, electronic publishing, e-commerce and financial information services.
He has held senior posts in computer-based information services at BT and the London Stock Exchange, and was Marketing Director of BT's subsidiary ShareLink(now Charles Schwab Europe), the first call centre-based financial services operator in the UK.
Since 1991, James has provided strategic advice to CEOs of media businesses in the digital interactive media market, including the BBC, Guardian Media Group, Reed Elsevier (LEXIS-NEXIS), Times Newspapers, The Economist Group, EMI, W H Smith, Sky, Microsoft Europe, Microsoft Network (MSN UK), Pearson, Mirror Group, Financial Times Information Services, Financial Times Newspapers, NatWest Bank, The European Commission DGXIIIE, Publicis, MAXAT and E*TRADE.
Before joining Cartezia, he led the consulting practice at Hydra Associates, providing strategic advisory services to CEOs of UK media businesses entering the digital marketplace. Prior to this he was Principal of the strategy consulting practice at a London-based advisory boutique, where he worked with some of the world's leading international media companies at Board level to address the challenge of digital convergence.
James's strong corporate background and extensive knowledge of the digital information industry - from both client and consultancy viewpoints - gives him unique insight into the challenges faced by organisations already operating within, or planning to enter, the digital marketplace.
James is now based in London, UK.
Prof John Baits
John is Chief Technical Officer of DN Capital Ltd. He has over 30 years experience in senior technology roles in IT and Telecommunications. John was world-wide CTO for Cable & Wireless, Managing Director of IT and Research for Telstra (Australia) plus previously 23 years at IBM where he held executive development positions in the UK, USA, Japan and France.
He holds a PhD in Engineering from Leicester University. He is also a visiting professor at Southampton University and is a Fellow of the IEE.
Mary Anne Cordeiro
Mary Anne Cordeiro is very active as an advisor to innovative companies in the healthcare sector. Her current clients include a number of device, diagnostic, orthopaedic, drug delivery and therapeutic businesses which require advice on business and funding strategy. She has also evaluated new technologies that address important healthcare needs for the large and growing Indian market and has cultivated a network of practitioners, industry experts and a network of investors in Asia and Europe. She herself is an active business angel investor and regularly reviews investment opportunities for two groups of Oxford and London-based angel networks.
Mary Anne is a Non-Executive Director of Albion Income & Growth VCT PLC ("Albion VCT") where she is one of five board members responsible for overseeing the investment strategy of Albion VCT and the performance of the investment manager, Albion Ventures LLP. This gives her a unique insight into the issues associated with early stage technology investment and the features that venture capital investors seek when structuring deals. She was instrumental in closing the agreement with Albion VCT where part of the £45 million raised was ear-marked for technology businesses from Brunel University, St George’s Hospital and University College London.
Mary Anne has a unique combination of skills, experience and alliances to assist the boards of SMEs to develop into global businesses. Since 1998, she has been working on the commercialisation of innovation and has helped develop strategies to bring new products and services to market as well as to finance growth. Furthermore, Mary Anne’s fifteen-year career in the City (1983-1998) with Goldman Sachs, Bankers Trust and Paribas has given her extensive expertise in all aspects of corporate finance including: valuation methodologies; M&A transaction structure, negotiation and closure; as well as access to a broad network of professional investors.
She graduated with an MA Honours (Oxon) degree in Chemistry, completed a dissertation in Quantum Pharmacology under Professor Graham Richards and was awarded an open scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford University to read Chemistry.
Mike Waters
Mike is a globally experienced businessman with 30 years experience in various technology businesses. He currently focuses on leading businesses to top market positions in competitive environments, creating growth strategies and business and marketing plans for a range of global high tech companies, and encouraging innovation in the supply chain. Besides running his own consultancy, he serves on the boards of CamFPD Ltd, Mesophotonics Ltd., and Dezineforce; he also supports The Brewery Design Company Ltd. as their VP of Technology, and develops Inpro Licensing activities in Europe.
Mike is a Chartered Engineer and has a BSc in Materials Science.
Nick Boles
Nick is an experienced consultant, project manager and entrepreneur who thrives on the challenges of growing businesses, and solving issues at the interface of businesses and consumers. Currently he is a Partner in London Innovation Centre, an early stage innovation consultancy. Prior to this, Nick has held senior management roles with strategic as well as operational focus within major companies in the media space such as EMI, Mirror Group, BBC, BSkyB and NBCEurope.
In his consulting career, Nick has advised companies like BAT, ITT, Vodafone, Thorn EMI, Bell Canada, Bell South, ASEA, Philips, ITN and the European Commission and was also the Strategy Director of Cartezia focusing on broadband and 3G content distribution. Nick’s start-up experience includes co-founding an IT services company and a marketing and client services leadership roles for a fund-management start-up.
Nick has an MBA from the London Business School and a BA (Hons) from the University of Sussex.
Paul Walsh
Paul has over 20 years experience in Telecoms and has worked for Manufacturers(STC/Nortel), Service Providers (Ionica plc) and Semiconductor companies(Virata/Conexant). He has managed software development from Enterprise applications to embedded protocols and drivers, and across many different time zones.
He joined Virata pre-IPO and helped it succeed as their VP of Software, in charge of the Integrated Software on Silicon (ISOS) product.
In 2005 he co-founded Vidanti – provider of an innovative platform for HD IPTV products. In 2008 he spun-out a new company to offer the CogniDox enterprise content management system to a fast-growing base of high-tech companies.
Paul is now based in Cambridge, UK.
Richard Cawdell
Richard graduated in 1977 from the University of Sussex with a degree in Physics, Electronics and Maths. He then worked with the Long Range Studies unit of BT, based in Cambridge. Having focussed on emerging local communications technologies, in 1981 he moved to a Marketing role in the rapidly growing Canadian manufacturer Mitel, gaining an early first-hand view of the issues implicit in a high growth technology company.
From Mitel he moved in 1985 to the European Commission as an expert advisor, introducing user and application aspects of the RACE R&D programme, in particular creating application pilots which challenged technologists to understand the requirements of users, and users to absorb the potential of broadband technologies.
Putting theory into practice, in 1990 he took on a role for 3 years as Group Telecoms Director in the systems function of Grand Metropolitan (now Diageo). He briefly followed this with a similar role for Allied Signal, based in Paris, before beginning a decade addressing systems, infrastructure and technology issues in financial services in the City of London, firstly as Group I.T. Director of Exco (now Intercapital), and latterly as Group I.S. Director of the Rothschild investment bank.
Richard has broad international experience of both supply and client sides of telecommunications, I.S. and consultancy businesses, operating in IT/telecoms, FMCG and financial services sectors. He has also experience of the issues involved in creating an effective, efficient I.S. organisation within specific regulatory, compliance and cultural frameworks.
Richard is now based in Vancouver, Canada.
Simon Jones
Simon has spent 20 years in the management consultancy profession, having completed an Economics degree at Cambridge University, an MBA at Wharton Business School and a period in commercial banking. The first part of his consulting career was with Andersen Consulting and the Mac Group/Gemini Consulting focusing on strategy development, operations and change management in the telecoms, airlines, oil and gas and public sectors.
In 1998, he joined Analysys in Cambridge UK, the global telecoms strategy and research specialists, as Head of Consulting, progressing to Group MD in 2001 when he also took responsibility for the Publications division. He became CEO of Analysys Mason when Analysys was sold to Datatec in 2004. During Simon's tenure as CEO, the Company grew it's turnover to c.£30m from £5m, increased international revenues to 70%+ of total through opening operations in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia; expanding into Media, and Telecoms Software; and completed 4 acquisitions. Simon was Vice Chairman in his last year at Analysys Mason when he drove strategic growth and business development initiatives. In the year, he identified and help facilitate team acquisitions in Singapore and India, continued business development activity with telco operators, investment and legal companies (upwards of £1m sales) and generated strategy for Energy Consulting and Research diversification.
Simon is currently leading a joint venture with Datatec, (Analysys Mason's parent company) whose aim is to continue to build Analysys Mason's Energy Consulting and Research practice and running his own company delivering management, marketing and personnel consulting.
This time also included a period as a Non-Executive Director of www.vbnonline.com (a community web-site builder and manager eventually sold to Sift in 2006) and member of the investment committee of Analysys Ventures.
Simon is now based in Cambridge, UK.
Stephen Wallace
A pioneer in lasers, with an international reputation in the development and commercialisation of light wave technologies, Stephen graduated with a BSc. (1st class Hons) and PhD. (Chemical Physics) from University of British Columbia. Following several exciting years at IBM Thomas J Watson R&D laboratories in New York, where he developed the first tuneable vacuum UV lasers (excimers), he accepted a faculty position at the University of Toronto. There he developed an interdisciplinary research program in both the Departments of Physics and Chemistry which led to the formation of a major Centre of Excellence, the Ontario Laser and Lightwave Research Centre, budget$50m over 6 years, a major initiative spanning Chemistry, Physics, Engineering and Biomedical research. As Associate Director for Research, he developed the strategic objectives for research programs and directed the implementation of large scale projects (including international collaborations) and overall budgetary control.
His expertise has led to broad international experience as a consultant in Japan, China, Singapore and Europe, with visiting academic appointments at Ecole Polytechnique (Paris) and the Gintzon Laboratories(applied physics) a Stanford University. Stephen is currently Professor Emeritus(Chemical Physics) at the University of Toronto, and lives in London U.K. and France where he is developing new entrepreneurial business interests in high technology applications. These range from light wave technologies and laser applications to applied photochemistry and photobiology. Specific projects are environmental (water purity and supply), energy (biofuels), security technologies (steganographic encryption), and characterization and identification of antiques and antiquities via non-destructive optical tomography.