UK Government Names New Innovate UK Chief

The UK Government's non-departmental innovation agency Innovate UK has appointed Indro Mukerjee as Chief Executive Officer. He replaces Ian Campbell, who resigned last June.

Innovate UK helps businesses develop new products, services, and processes. Since 2007, the organisation has invested around £2.5 billion to help businesses across the country to innovate, with match funding from the private sector taking the total value of projects above £4.3 billion. The agency has also helped 8,500 organisations create around 70,000 jobs and added an estimated £18 billion of value to the UK economy.

Mukerjee (pictured) joins after working as CEO of technology solutions provider Watchstone Group, before which, he was CEO of plastics electronics firm Plastic Logic, and electronics business C-MAC MicroTechnology. Earlier in his career, Mukerjee held leadership positions at Philips Semiconductors, VideoLogic, and Hitachi Europe. In addition, he co-founded the UK Electronics Skills Foundation, and has served on the SEMTA (now Enginuity) Board for nine years.

In his new role, Mukerjee will be tasked with transitioning Innovate UK from a grant funding body to an agency focused on driving economic growth. He takes over from Campbell, who had previously warned that the organisation had been given 'steadily-less prominence, autonomy and capacity to act genuinely innovatively'. Commenting on the appointment, UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: 'I look forward to working closely with Indro at the helm of Innovate UK, which will be a crucial vehicle in accelerating business-led innovation and technology, driving economic growth, creating high-value jobs.'

The organisation is part of non-departmental public body UK Research and Innovation, which is online at: www.ukri.org .