Retired, Director of Innovation, Impact and Business, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
Sean was responsible for a team that connects organisations to the University of Exeter, creates new business opportunities and generates new innovation.
Each year the team worked on around 2000 projects worth around £60 million. They helped partners undertake R&D projects, access skilled people and generate innovation. They managed strategic alliances, contract education programmes with business, spin-outs, licensing and economic development. Were also responsible for major innovation initiatives such as the Exeter Science Park of which Sean was a Board member. Until recently Sean was chair of SETsquared (which has been recognised since 2015 as the World's number one University Business Incubator).
Sean was Chair of PraxisAuril 2018-2020, the UK's national association for knowledge exchange professionals and a board member of the global Alliance of Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP) which promotes the RTTP World-wide standard. He has been a previous Vice-President of ASTP, and a member of the Board of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership and the Exeter Science Park.
Sean has had 30 years’ experience of strategic management in higher education as well as having been Managing Director and Director of several companies. He previously set up and led joint-ventures for commercialising and marketing national and international HE services.
He is a Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) and studied languages at University College London.