The Research and Development Society

Dr Andrew Mackintosh – Chairman

Following a PhD in Physics and an early academic career, Andrew was for seven years Chief Executive of Oxford Instruments plc, an international high technology instrumentation company with £200m of revenues. Most recently he has been managing the reorganization and sale of a biotechnology instrumentation start-up and has also been developing a portfolio of investment and advisory roles in technology-based businesses, academia and around innovation strategy. Andrew is a member of SESETAC, the Science and Industry council for SEEDA. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Member of the Institute of Directors.

Richard Halkett, Executive Director, Policy & Research Unit, NESTA

Richard Halkett joined NESTA in July 2006. As the Executive Director of NESTA’s Policy & Research Unit, Richard is responsible for developing policy and research projects which will enrich and strengthen the UK’s understanding of innovation, contribute towards shaping coherent and valid innovation programmes to allow NESTA to continue supporting innovators across the UK, and inform innovation policy.

Before joining NESTA, Richard worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a large foreign policy think tank in Washington DC, where he was Assistant Director of Studies, he focused on the overall research direction of the centre and its 30-plus research programmes.

Richard was co-founder and chief executive of Boxmind, an Oxford-based technology company, which he ran from 2000 to 2003. He was also a UK-US Fulbright Scholar at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley where he was nominated for the Aaron Wildavsky Prize for his advanced policy analysis.

Dr Neil A MacGilp, Group Technical Director, SABMiller

Neil MacGilp studied Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, BSc(Hons) and PhD, before joining Procter and Gamble in Newcastle upon Tyne. A career of more than 30 years in P&G's R&D department included spells in Brussels, Cincinnati and Surrey and a broad exposure to all aspects of innovation in the consumer products world.

In 2006 Neil was appointed to his current position as Group Technical Director at SABMiller PLC, based in Woking, Surrey, with a global remit to accelerate the company’s innovation agenda.

Professor Colin Whitehouse FREng FInstP FIMMM, Deputy Chief Executive, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

Professor Colin Whitehouse is STFC’s Deputy Chief Executive, Head of the STFC Daresbury Laboratory and Director of Knowledge Exchange. He is also a member of the STFC Council which oversees STFC’s four UK-based laboratories.

Dr Treve Willis, Director of the Innovation Advisory Service South East

Treve Willis studied Materials Science at the University of Oxford, MA & DPhil, before joining Alcan's R&D Labs where he worked for nine years on R&D and the spin out that developed from the research, moving into plant management and technical marketing. Subsequently he ran his own consultancy for seven years before joining Oxford Innovation as a Director in 1999. Currently, Treve is running the successful Innovation Advisory Service in the SE which is helping to develop an Open Innovation culture in the region.

Further information

Doors open for registration and coffee at 1.30pm. The meeting starts at 2pm and will conclude at approximately 5pm.

Book by completing the online form and follow with payment online or by post. The meeting fee is £25 for R&D Society members and £50 for non-members, including refreshments.

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