Four New Non-Executive Directors Join PraxisAuril’s Board

Following a highly successful round of recruitment, PraxisAuril (Knowledge Exchange UK) is delighted to announce the appointment of four new Non-Executive Directors to join its Board. These appointments were announced and ratified at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 25th September 2024.

Our new Board members bring a wealth of experience and fresh perspectives that will strengthen our purpose to drive innovation, collaboration, and impact across the sector and with external partners. Collectively, the refreshed Board will oversee the organisation’s transformation to Knowledge Exchange UK and drive its renewed mission to support and enhance knowledge exchange professionals and practice across the UK.

Individuals will take up their posts, formally, over the next financial year as the following non-executive directors come to the end of their terms on the Board: 

  • Adam Stoten (January 2024)
  • Amanda Baxendale (January 2024)
  • Matthew Sutherland (April 2025) 

A heartfelt thanks go to those Board Members who are stepping down from their roles, as announced at the AGM in September. Their commitment to PraxisAuril has been instrumental in shaping our direction and success over the past few years. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with them in different capacities within the knowledge exchange community.  

New Board Members 

 Ben Fisher | CEO, Innovation Catalyst   

Ben Fisher is founder and CEO of Innovation Catalyst Ltd, a business and innovation firm working with public, private and voluntary sector organisations to deliver research, innovation, economic development, commercial and socio-economic evaluation services to support organisational growth, collaborative partnerships and place-based impact. He is also Head of Projects at the Rural Design Centre Ltd, a not-for-profit innovation firm working with organisations to stimulate innovation and adopt new solutions in rural communities. 

Ben has significant experience in senior research, innovation and knowledge exchange positions in the higher education sector. Previous roles include; Director of Business and Enterprise at Northumbria University and Associate Dean for Enterprise and Knowledge Exchange/Research and Innovation at Teesside University. He has led and executed research and enterprise organisational strategies exceeding R&D, innovation and knowledge exchange performance targets and outcomes in his three former academic institutions. 

Ben is a values-based leader exhibiting values of honesty, acting with integrity, collaborative working and acting with purpose. His leadership style is transformational, democratic and participatory focused on delivering long-term goals based on data-led evidence and analytics.  

 Fiona Mason | Head of Business Engagement and IP Commercialisation, Edinburgh Napier University   

Fiona is an experienced and versatile leader specialising in IP commercialisation and knowledge exchange. She has over 20 years of experience working across industry and the HEI sector, developing key strategic relationships, stakeholder collaboration and leading organisational change. In her current role at Edinburgh Napier University, she manages the business engagement team and is responsible for the development of the policy and strategies related to business and stakeholder engagement and the management and commercialisation of the University’s intellectual property. She leads on Edinburgh Napier’s commercialisation strategy and process, supporting the development and exploitation of all IP projects leading to license or spin out. 

Fiona is passionate about the commercial potential of innovations and their real-world application and is enthusiastic about transforming research into something impactful. Her leadership centres on inspiring and energising teams to create a united sense of purpose to drive through transformative change in the most effective way possible so that impact can be realised.  

 Michael Parker | Director, Knowledge Exchange Research and Innovation Services, Northumbria University

Michael is responsible for the Northumbria University’s Knowledge Exchange Strategy, ambitions and operations. He leads the University’s KE Teams including the rapidly growing and ambitious technology transfer office; the business development team responsible for consultancy, CPD, contract research and facilities and equipment access; the policy engagement and public and community engagement teams; knowledge transfer partnerships; regional economic development; and the research impact team.

Michael was previously Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships at Advance HE where he led on strategic projects that allowed the organisation to transition to post-grant sustainability. He was the co-author of the Framework for Embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals into Strategy and Research and worked strategically with Higher Education providers in both the UK and the US. Michael brings substantial experience in Higher Education, working with over 80 universities to support their strategic enhancement activities ranging from commercialisation activity, intellectual property, research and KE strategy development, professional development support and training, and curriculum design and innovation. He has an undergraduate degree in History & Politics, postgraduate degrees in Law and Education Research, and is active in the research of peer-review and feedback in Higher Education and is trained in IP management and commercialisation.

Rebecca Wilson | Head of Alliance Management, LifeArc    

Rebecca Wilson, PhD, RTTP joined the UK based medical research foundation LifeArc in February 2024 as Head of Alliance Management, where she is building a new alliance management function that aims to maximise the value and impact of LifeArc’s mutually beneficial alliances and accelerate LifeArc’s strategy.

Rebecca has a wealth of experience in partnership management and business development, having worked in academic and commercial research settings in the UK and abroad. Before joining LifeArc, Rebecca held key roles, including Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Francis Crick Institute and Director of Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation at Imperial College London, where she oversaw research collaborations, technology commercialisation, and contributed to the UK's Industrial Strategy. She has also worked in biotech startups in the UK (Microscience Ltd) and Australia (Apollo Life Sciences). With a Ph.D. in infectious diseases from Imperial College London and postdoc experience at University of California, San Franciso, her career is marked by a commitment to advancing scientific research and innovation.