CSA Catapult appoints new board chair
Jonathan Flint takes over from Rob Bryan to chair UK compound semiconductor organisation
Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult, the UK’s authority on compound semiconductor applications and commercialisation, has announced the appointment of Flint Flint as the new chair of its board of directors.
CSA Catapult was established in 2018 by Innovate UK to help the UK become a global leader in compound semiconductors. In his role as chair, Flint will lead the board to help deliver the mission and purpose of CSA Catapult, as well as overseeing the corporate governance of the organisation.
Flint takes over from the current chair, Rob Bryan who has successfully completed his term of office and will remain as a non-executive director.
Graduating in Physics from Imperial College in 1982, Flint holds an MBA from Southampton University Management School.
He started his career designing scientific and communications satellites at Marconi, where he worked for twenty years, before and after its acquisition by BAE Systems. He held both technical and managerial roles before becoming a managing director at Marconi and then at BAE Systems.
In 2005, Flint was appointed CEO of Oxford Instruments – the first substantial spin-out company from Oxford University – where he served for 11 years.
Flint is currently chairman of Quantic and executive chairman of Refeyn.
Flint has also been a non-executive director for Stadium plc and for Cobham plc, a UK defence and communications equipment contractor.
Flint was president of the Institute of Physics (IOP) between 2019 and 2021 and has been a Fellow since 2007. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He was awarded a CBE in 2012 ‘for services to Business and Science’.
Flint said: “I am delighted to take up the role of chair at CSA Catapult and look forward to being part of the next phase of the organisation’s journey as it scales up its efforts to help UK industry develop next-generation technologies.
“Compound semiconductors are already revolutionising our approach to tackling society’s biggest problems, such as increasing the efficiency of electric vehicles and reducing the vast amounts of energy consumed by data centres.
“CSA Catapult plays a critical role in helping to bring these applications to market and ensuring that the UK remains a global leader in this technology. It is therefore extremely exciting for me to play a part in this, and I look forward to working closely with members of the Board and employees across the organisation to help meet our ambitions.
“I would also like to place on record my sincere thanks to Rob Bryan for his leadership of the Board and his unwavering commitment to the Catapult cause. Rob’s extensive knowledge and experience of the innovation ecosystem and the wider Catapult landscape has been instrumental in leading CSA Catapult to its many successes to date and is something I will no doubt call upon as I begin the new role.”
Rob Bryan said: “I extend a warm welcome to Jonathan and look forward to supporting him through the next phase of CSA Catapult’s journey.
“Jonathan brings with him extensive experience at both executive and non-executive level from the science and innovation industry, which will be invaluable to the Catapult.
“It’s been an honour to serve as chair and to see the Catapult mature into an organisation that now spans the breadth of the country in support of our thriving compound semiconductor ecosystem.
“From a standing start in 2018, the Catapult now employees around 100 hundred people, has engaged in over 200 industrial collaborations and secured over £18m in collaborative R&D funding.
“This is testament to the hard work of everyone at the Catapult who, along with Jonathan and the rest of the Board, I look forward to continue working with and build on these successes.”
Dave Wilkes, director - Innovation Ecosystem at Innovate UK said: “As the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK works to support growth and increased productivity across the UK through our portfolio of products and services. The Innovate UK Catapult Network provides a unique combination of world-class expertise and facilities, connecting research excellence with business impact. Jonathan Flint CBE’s appointment as chair of the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult will bring a broader industry focus and support the Catapult’s mission to stimulate business growth in the UK by unlocking the potential of compound semiconductors across a range of sectors.”
