Director – Innovation Policy
Paul is Director, Innovation Policy at Innovate UK.
Paul has overarching responsibility for Innovate UK’s corporate strategy (Strategy for UK Business Innovation) and programmes that support its development and implementation. These include economics, insights and evaluation; commercialisation; design; equality, diversity and inclusion; talent and skills; and digital comms and media.
This role follows periods as Director – Responsive Programmes; Director – Commercialisation & Open Programmes; Director – Emerging and Enabling Technologies; Deputy Director – Research and Chief Scientific Advisor; and as Head of Development.
Paul led the creation of the very first Innovate UK sector strategies (in areas such as high value manufacturing, biosciences, high value services, resource efficiency, advanced materials, medicines & healthcare and energy).
He has overseen most of Innovate UK’s programmes at one time or another including Smart, KTP, ICURe, digital, space, sustainable agriculture and food, enabling technologies, including the relevant Catapults. He set up and launched Innovate UK’s programmes in agriculture & food, stratified medicine, disease diagnosis, creative industries, design, analysis for innovators, and emerging technologies.
Before joining Innovate UK, Paul worked for 25 years in the chemical industry. There he held roles in R&D, market analysis, technical management, process improvement, change management, supply chain, sales, and manufacturing management; gaining experience in Europe, USA and Japan.
Paul read Chemistry at Balliol College, Oxford and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Last updated: 31 March 2022