Simon Devonshire OBE Announced as New Chairman
Ploughshare Innovations, the technology transfer company for Dstl, is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Devonshire OBE as its new Chairman.
Simon’s extensive corporate career makes him well suited to help deliver Ploughshare’s strategic objectives and drive the use of defence and security technologies into wider commercial use. He previously ran O2 Business, the business division of the mobile-network, and co-founded Wayra Europe, the business accelerator belonging to Telefonica. He is also a serial entrepreneur and is involved in several successful digital start-up companies. In addition, Simon has previously worked for the government in his role as Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and is currently the EiR at the National Physical Laboratory.
Commenting on his new appointment, Simon said:
I am very excited and proud to be joining Ploughshare Innovations to help scale-up the remarkable science and innovation being pioneered at Dstl from its work with the Ministry of Defence. I am passionate about the opportunity to drive mass adoption of new technology that enables people and the planet to flourish - the incredible progress that Dstl has made in diagnosing sepsis being just one notable example.
James Kirby, CEO of Ploughshare, remarking about the changes said:
The prospect of a new chair with different experiences and ideas will help bring about a new phase in Ploughshare’s journey, and I look forward to working with Simon to continue to grow the business. On behalf of my fellow board members, I would like to express our gratitude to Piers White, who has been an outstanding chair over the last 6 years.
Piers White, the outgoing Chairman, commented:
Working with Ploughshare has been a privilege and a highlight of my career. I have been fortunate enough to be part of a team that has delivered some transformational technologies to market. I wish Simon every success and look forward to seeing the next generation of fantastic innovations come to fruition.
Simon, who is also a Non-executive Director of the Student Loans Company, will formally start as Chairman on 21 November 2019.