Our people
Experienced and highly motivated
To realise the most promising ideas of our time, you need a professional services team of highly motivated and talented people, driven by innovation and your vision. With experience in problem-solving, operations, financial planning, commercialisation and strategy, we make it easy for entrepreneurs and academics to connect.
Collaborating to help you thrive with end-to-end support throughout the process.
Derek Watson
CEO
Brett Simpson
Chairman
Keith Millican
Director of Enterprise
Kelly Maher
Head of RBDC
Christian Ziar
Head of Technology Transfer
Geoff Morris
Director of the Eden Campus
Bonnie Hacking
Programme Manager
Joe Richards
Finance Director
Jayshree Johnstone
Business Development Manager for Industry
Ian Hill
Strategic Lead for Innovation
Karen Primrose
Head of Special Projects
Kirsty Osborne
Marketing and Events Manager
Derek Watson
CEO
CEO of St Andrews Innovation and Quaestor and Factor at the University of St Andrews, Derek provides strategic leadership, drives change and shines a light on St Andrews across the global stage. Derek joined the University in 2002, took on the role in 2003 and brought with him decades of experience as Deputy Director of Finance at NHS Scotland and Property Development Manager of an NHS Trust. With his strategic guidance and support, St Andrews Innovation is increasingly answering difficult questions and meeting present day challenges with impactful solutions.
Brett Simpson
Chairman
An accomplished executive leader with over 35 years of global business experience, Brett drives growth in technology and manufacturing companies. He was Chief Executive of LBC Tank Terminals, Group CEO of Low & Bonar Plc, and CEO of Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group. Since 2019, Brett has held a variety of advisory and board roles and is currently non-Exec Chair of St Andrews Applied Research, Chair of Bladon Micro Turbines, Executive Chair of Celtic Renewables and non-Executive Director of Wilkie Group. He is also a volunteer and Trustee of The Wave Project, a UK-wide mental health charity, and chairs RemCom. A chemical engineering graduate from Monash University, Melbourne, he holds an MBA from Columbia University, New York and is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. He has lived and worked in Australia, Hong Kong, China, USA, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK.
Keith Millican
Director of Enterprise
Keith is Director of Enterprise, nurturing individuals and teams to transform early-stage ideas into sustainable companies. A proponent for the start-up culture within the University, Keith has 35 years of financial and operating expertise, covering corporate finance, acquisitions, divestments, turnarounds and start-ups across industries.
Kelly Maher
Head of RBDC
Kelly is an experienced Higher Education (HE) leader, passionate about all things St Andrews. She joined the University in 2008 as a business development manager for Life, Biological and Environmental Sciences. She has been Head of RBDC since 2010, supporting the University to grow research funding across all disciplines, providing strategic direction and specialist advice. Her previous roles include HE in Ireland and Scotland since 1999, with a 4-year interlude in the early 2000s on the JET graduate programme, working for municipal offices of the Ministry of Education in Japan. A graduate of University College Dublin, Kelly holds an MBA with Distinction from Dundee Business School.
Christian Ziar
Head of Technology Transfer
Christian leads the Technology Transfer team and manages the University’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio, identifying innovation that can translate to market benefit and wider society. His ten years at a firm of IP attorneys and three years working for a semiconductor licensing company in Cambridge have equipped him for the task. His passion lies in supporting groundbreaking research and shaping that into impactful outcomes.
Geoff Morris
Director of the Eden Campus
Geoff is Director of the Eden Campus and is passionate about creating an environment where industry and academia can co-create, co-exist and ultimately thrive. He brings expertise and experience from senior roles in business, government and charity, specialising in problem-solving, fundraising and people management.
Bonnie Hacking
Programme Manager
As Programme Manager, Bonnie is responsible for the delivery of programmes and training that inspire and motivate nascent entrepreneurs. Bonnie advises and guides entrepreneurs and loves working with talented and enterprising minds. She supports creativity and idea generation, facilitation and action learning sets, leadership development and training, strategic planning and change management. Previous roles include Enterprise & Creativity in the School of Management, Director of Enterprise Educators UK, Management Development Officer for Oxfordshire County Council and People Programmes Manager for Unipart Group of Companies.
Joe Richards
Finance Director
Joe is the Finance Director of St Andrews Innovation, leading the finance team in providing full compliance services along with commercial support and problem-solving to our portfolio of subsidiary companies. Joe also works closely with the Entrepreneurship Centre and University colleagues to support new opportunities and projects arising through the ecosystem. Before joining St Andrews Innovation, Joe qualified as a chartered accountant with RSM (formerly Baker Tilly) with a focus on small companies.
Jayshree Johnstone
Business Development Manager for Industry
An expert at bringing the right people together, Jayshree connects organisations to academic experts across all Schools. With industry expertise in IP commercialisation and business development, she knows the pressures faced by academics and researchers and how to understand and interpret business needs. She has supported and managed large and complex bids, negotiated complex contracts and knows how to skilfully manage relationships with companies of varying size, location and sector.
Ian Hill
Strategic Lead for Innovation
Ian is the Strategic Lead for Innovation at the University’s Eden Campus development. He moves between external companies and academics, helping to scope and plan new R&D facilities, with a particular focus on low-carbon innovation. His skills are in partnership, communication, visioning and strategy development. He is passionate about a zero-carbon future for all our children.
Karen Primrose
Head of Special Projects
Karen is Head of Special Projects at Eden Campus, bringing tenants, industry and our brilliant academics together to innovate and deliver a low-carbon future. With a varied background in business and estate management, her expertise covers systems, operations, compliance, programme management, problem-solving and fundraising.
Kirsty Osborne
Marketing and Events Manager
Kirsty builds the St Andrews brand internally to spark the entrepreneurial spirit and potential of University members. Through events and campaigns, she connects organisations with members and supports the development of commercialisation. Kirsty is passionate about people, nurturing talent and making sure everyone has a first-class experience of St Andrews Innovation.