New CEO for White Rose University Consortium
Posted on 24 January 2005
Dr White has spent more than a decade in high level roles in Yorkshire. His experience in business, regional economic and academic spheres makes him well-equipped to lead White Rose. He is formerly an executive member of the EU-funded South Yorkshire Objective 1 Directorate, where he co-managed the Business and Enterprise team, and was responsible for investing over £125 million in initiatives to transform the economy of South Yorkshire. These initiatives included driving the £50 million South Yorkshire Investment Fund and the Invest for Growth grant schemes, which has deployed some £35 million to over 700 companies, creating 2,000 jobs.
Other areas of responsibility included the promotion of university knowledge and technology transfer and the development and delivery of strategic initiatives to support business clusters in advanced manufacturing and metals, bioscience, environmental and energy technologies, food and tourism.
Prior to this, Dr White was General Manager of BioIncubator York Ltd, raising £1 million to create an organisation, which identified and selected bioscience projects, nurturing them through to start-up companies. He also spent eight years in biomedical research and led a research team within the pharmaceutical industry identifying and developing new product opportunities.
The Consortium is an exemplar of successful university collaboration in the UK
Dr Julian White
Dr White said: "The Consortium is an exemplar of successful university collaboration in the UK; it adds value to its members and has a role in helping to inform and deliver the Regional Economic Strategy. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to drive its future. It's in great shape already, with a talented and dedicated team, and continuing commitment and support from the Vice-Chancellors at the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. I'm looking forward to building on its strengths and anticipate even greater achievements in the future."
Professor Bob Boucher, Chair of White Rose, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield said: "This is an important strategic role for all three universities, requiring vision, a clear sense of direction and strong leadership. Julian has these qualities in abundance and we are delighted that he has accepted this position.
"The White Rose University Consortium has been an extremely successful and innovative organization in its 8 year history. It has proved to be an invaluable asset to all three universities, and I look forward to working with Julian to take it forward to further success future."