Governing Board
Our work is overseen by a Governing Board of twelve people, which sets overall objectives and direction. Drawn from the business, public sector and research communities, the current members were appointed in June 2007.
These appointments have been made in accordance with the requirements of the Code of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.
Dr Graham Spittle is Chair of the Governing Board.
Graham Spittle is VP Software for UK, Ireland and South Africa with IBM. He was appointed to his present position in early 2007 and was previously Vice President, World Wide Integration Development and Director of the IBM Hursley Laboratory. He joined IBM in 1985 at the Hursley Laboratory and has held professional and managerial positions in Business Operations and Software Development. His roles have included development and strategy responsibility for major IBM products as well as Business Development responsibilities. He has lectured and published on Software Contracting and Intellectual Property. Graham Spittle was awarded the CBE for Services to Industry in the Queen's Birthday Honours, 2008.
Graham received a Masters Degree in Geography from Edinburgh University and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Southampton University. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Visiting Professor in the School of Informatics at Edinburgh University, a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Southampton University and a Visiting Professor at the University of Bristol.
Dr Spittle served as Chair of the advisory Technology Strategy Board from 2004.
Dr Graeme Armstrong is Chief Innovation Officer with Akzo Nobel. He has extensive experience of senior management in global organisations with the emphasis on marketing, technology, innovation, research and development. Prior to joining Akzo Nobel he served as SVP Technology for ICI PLC and President EMEA with JohnsonDiversey Inc. He is a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and member of their Science Policy Board, a member of the Innovation Strategy Board for the Chemistry Innovation Knowledge Transfer Network, and a Member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Eur Ing Nick Buckland is a board member of the South West England Regional Development Agency and a managing consultant with a background of 20 years in the UK ICT industry. He is vice chairman of the board of Governors of the University of Plymouth, Non-Executive Chairman of Tamar Science Park and holds a number of non-executive directorships including Finance Cornwall, Finance South-West and companies involved in ICT, marketing, and farm tourism. He also has business interests in consultancy and senior management recruitment. He is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Information Technology Practitioner, a Fellow of the British Computer Society, the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, Chartered Management Institute and the Royal Society of Arts. Mr Buckland served as a member of the advisory Technology Strategy Board from 2004.
Dr John Brown is Chairman of BTG plc and also has a wider portfolio of non-executive directorships in both the private and public sectors. With a background as a research pharmacologist, his career has included a number of roles in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. He most recently held the positions of Finance Director and then Chief Executive of Acambis PLC, the vaccine specialist. He is Chairman of the Governing Council of the Roslin Institute, the Life Science Industry Advisory Group and the BioIndustry Association in Scotland. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Dr Brown served as a board member of the advisory Technology Strategy Board from 2004.
Dr Joseph Feczko is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Pfizer Inc, with global responsibility for all aspects of the company's medical affairs. Following a medical career specialising in internal medicine and infectious diseases, he worked in the UK for Pfizer and Glaxo, where his roles included Medical Director and Director of Global Regulatory Operations. He is a board member of bodies including the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the International Trachoma Initiative, the New York Academy of Medicine, the Academic Alliance Foundation Board as well as a member of the Pharmaceutical Drug Forum of the Institute of Medicine, Vice Chair of the Advisory Board, University of Miami Center for Aging Research, and was recently named to the Board of Directors for Research!America . Dr Feczko served as a board member of the advisory Technology Strategy Board from 2004.
Anne Glover is co-founder and CEO of Amadeus Capital Partners Ltd, a European technology venture capital firm with £460m under management and investments in over 60 technology companies. Following a degree in metallurgy and materials science, her career in technology finance and consultancy has included roles with Bain & Co in the US and Apax Partners & Co Ventures Ltd in London. Ms Glover served as a board member of the advisory Technology Strategy Board from 2004 and is chairing a committee on behalf of the Treasury advising the government on procurement from SMEs.
Dr David Grant is Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, a position he has held since 2001. He has a PhD in Engineering Science from the University of Durham and has spent much of his career in engineering and senior management roles in industry, including Technical Director of Dowty Group plc and Technical Director of GEC plc. Dr Grant has been a Council Member and Vice President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. In 1997 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was also made a CBE for his contribution to the UK's Foresight Programme. He is currently Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Jonathan Kestenbaum is Chief Executive of NESTA, The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. With a background in private enterprise and public service he was previously Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Apax Partners Ltd and Chief Executive of The Office of the Chief Rabbi. He started his career by building and then selling one of London's largest international metals trading businesses. He is a Board member of the Design Council and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Andrew Milligan is Head of Global Strategy at the fund manager Standard Life Investments, based in Scotland. He is a senior economist with experience of the public and private sectors, banking, stockbroking and fund management. His previous positions have included roles with H.M. Treasury, Lloyds Bank and Morley Fund Management. He is a Council member of the Society of Business Economists, including chairing its Investment Committee.
Professor Julia King is Vice-Chancellor of Aston University. Her career spans both industry and academia. From 1994 to 2002 she held various senior executive roles at Rolls-Royce plc, including Director of Advanced Engineering for the Industrial Businesses, Managing Director of Fan Systems and Engineering Director for the Marine Business. Before joining Rolls-Royce she was an academic at Cambridge. Julia is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and was made a CBE for 'Services to Materials Engineering' in 1999. She has recently completed the King Review of low-carbon cars for the Treasury, which was published with Budget 2008. Professor King served as a board member of the advisory Technology Strategy Board from 2004.
Dr Jeremy Watson is Director of Global Research at Ove Arup & Partners. Following a BSc and MSc in Electronics and Cybernetics at the University of London and a DPhil in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Sussex, he has held a number of senior technical management roles in industry, consultancy and academia focusing on automation systems, process control and applied physics, including Director of Technology at BOC Edwards. Dr Watson is a Visiting Professor of Southampton and Sussex Universities, a Chartered Engineer and Chairman of the IET Control and Instrumentation Sector Panel. He is also a member of the EPSRC College.
Dr Peter Ringrose is Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and has spent thirty-three years in the pharmaceutical industry. He was previously Chief Scientific Officer for Bristol-Myers Squibb and President of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute at Princeton. He was also Senior Vice President for Worldwide Drug Research with Pfizer leading teams responsible for the discovery of globally renowned drugs like Viagra and Norvasc. He spent three years as Chairman of Cambridge Antibody Technology's Scientific Advisory Board, of which he was also a board member. In addition, he is a board member with Astex Therapeutics, Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Biotica Technology and the New York Academy of Sciences as well as working in a scientific advisory capacity for organisations such as Accenture and Schering-Plough.
Iain Gray is Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board. Iain is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Chairman of the Business and Industry Panel of The Engineering and Technology Board (ETB), a Governor of the University of the West of England and a Board Member of SEMTA and the Energy Technologies Institute. Iain completed his early education in Aberdeen, culminating in an Engineering Science honours degree at Aberdeen University. He also holds a Masters of Philosophy from Southampton University and has Honorary Doctorates in Engineering and Science from Bath, Bristol and Aberdeen Universities. Iain joined British Aerospace (now Airbus UK) in 1989 and over time held roles including Director of Strategy and External Affairs and Engineering Director, becoming Airbus UK's Managing Director and General Manager in January 2004. He joined the Technology Strategy Board as Chief Executive in November 2007.
Note: In accordance with the Nolan recommendations there is a requirement for appointees' political activity to be made public. The only member who is involved in such activity is Andrew Milligan, who is a member of the Liberal Democrat Party. Members hold the following other ministerial appointments: Julia King is Chair of the Defence Science Advisory Council until July 2007; and Jonathan Kestenbaum is a board member of the Design Council.