The UKIF Group of Expert Members is made up of leading industry figures and functional experts to whom UKIF members can turn for free advice.

To contact any of these members, simply login and use the messaging system to send a public or private note.

Sector experts

Gordon Aspin -  Mobile Telecommunication Technology

Gordon is the Founder of Cognovo.  Gordon has had a distinguished career including roles as CTO at Camitri Technologies, Senior Director at Motorola Mobile Devices, Chief Operating Officer at TTP Communications, Consultant at The Technology Partnership and engineering positions at Signal Processors and PA Technology.

John Knowles - Nanotechnology

John is a highly experienced chair of and investor in Life Science companies and was listed by BVCA as a ‘leading UK entrepreneur (Medical Devices)’.  John is Chairman at NanoKTN Advisory Board, a Panel Member at NHS i4i and Chairman and Founder at NanoSight.

Zeb Ahmed, High Value Manufacturing and Industrial Biotechnology

Zeb Ahmed is currently Deputy Managing Director of ETDE Contracting, providing specialist turnkey design and build, first of a kind process engineering and integrated facility solutions for the high tech industries.

Mike Maiden, Defence

Mike is Chairman of NDI, having spent over 30 years working in the Ministry of Defence in the areas of policy, procurement, finance and defence exports.

David Atkins, HealthTech

David is Regional VP for Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices, responsible for their activities in more than 70 countries.

Amjad Hussain, Defence

Rear Admiral Amjad Hussain is Controller of the Royal Navy and its Director of Precision Attack.

Mark Edwards, Pharma

Mark is a former Clinical R&D Director of Pfizer and sits as a non-executive on boards for the Medical Research Council (MRC Technology) and SEHTA, among others.

Danny Wootton, Software

Danny is currently Director of Innovation for Logica, where he is responsible for working with VCs, Incubators and early stage companies.

Robert Hokin, CleanTech

Robert has 20 years international experience of commercialising new technology and R&D. He founded ecoConnect, which now includes over 16000 finance executives, entrepreneurs and corporates.

Functional experts

John Moore, R&D Tax Relief & Patent Box Relief

John is a chartered accountant, with Kingly Brookes LLP, specialising in assisting technology companies to understand and claim the R&D Tax relief and Patent box relief.  His experience in  R&D tax relief, since 2000, was gained with a  “Big Four” firm specialist team of which he was a founder member.

John is also a member of the HMRC/HM Treasury/BIS R&D Consultative Committee providing input into Government strategy and practice in this area.

Andy Smith, Valuation of Early Stage Companies

Andy Smith joins the UKIF as expert member, specialising in the valuation of early stage companies.
 
Originally a scientist and university lecturer, Andy moved into the pharmaceutical industry, then from R&D over to the commercial side of SmithKline Beecham after an MBA.

Charles Ellwood, Design – cross sector

Charles Ellwood is Design Manager at BIC Innovation – a UKIF partner company and UKIF champion in Wales, and Head of Innovation at Pera Defence.

Kelvin King, Valuation of IP

Kelvin is an internationally recognised figure in the valuation of IP. He first held senior positions in areas responsible for the private company, business, intellectual property, and intangible asset valuation requirements of the UK Government.

Richard Atkinson, Management of Start Ups

Richard is a highly experienced technology entrepreneur and has led start-ups in the cleantech, automotive, communications, defence and software sectors.

Martin Smith, Managing 3rd Party Support for Innovation

Martin is a Senior Partner of PA Consulting and until recently was the Managing Partner of its internationally renowned Technology and Innovation Practice.

 

[Please note: All members named above have kindly agreed to provide advice to other members of the UKIF in a personal capacity, based on their own views and experience, and are not acting as agents or advisers for their current employers or any other organisation with which they are or have been connected. Therefore any advice, assistance or personal opinions given should be construed in this context only and without any liability on their part or on the part of the UKIF.]