Being CEO of The Oxford Trust is both a privilege and honour. Science and innovation have always been a part of my professional life so being able to be at the centre of an organisation that really makes a difference to young people and young companies is fantastic.

Personally I had a long career in the pharmaceutical and chemicals industry holding senior international positions with Merck KGaA and others before moving into the third sector.

As one of the originators of Venturefest, over 21 years ago, and along with other groups the Trust supports like Advanced Oxford, Innovation Forum Oxford, The Hill Oxford, Oxford Biosciences Network and the Trust tries to encourage collaboration within the ecosystem.

Our two innovation centres (Oxford Centre for Innovation & Wood Centre for Innovation) provide independent space for young tech companies to grow inside Oxford city which benefit from the location and our support packages that have contributed to many success stories.