ieso founding CEO Perks succeeds David Gill as St John’s Innovation Centre boss

After more than 15 highly successful years in charge of the centre, Gill is moving on to a fresh role in the Cambridge corporate sector and SJIC has unveiled a new management team in a change of structure.

Perks’ arrival completes the new senior leadership line-up which also includes Stephanie Martlew as COO, Chris Lang as CFO and long-standing team member Kirsten Masson who is Innovation Programmes Director.

Perks has a long relationship with the centre, most recently as a non- executive director of current tenant Psyomics. He is a seasoned technology entrepreneur as founding CEO of both ieso Digital Health and Oxford VR and non-executive director at Psyomics, Boutros Bear and Alcuris.

He said: “There has never been a greater need for technology innovation to help solve the world’s problems. Under David Gill’s leadership, St John’s Innovation Centre has cemented its position as the innovation destination of choice at the heart of the world-leading Cambridge innovation ecosystem.

“I’m grateful to the board of St John’s Innovation Centre for giving me the opportunity to build on David’s excellent work at such an exciting time.”

St John’s Innovation Centre board chair, Ian Hutchings, remarked: “David’s work supporting early-stage businesses has become well known not only in Cambridge but nationally and internationally – and he also piloted the Centre very successfully through the stormy waters of the global financial crisis and the more recent pandemic.

“The Board are immensely grateful to him for his hard work and dedication. We are delighted that Barnaby, a highly experienced entrepreneur with personal knowledge of the needs of growing technology companies, will be taking over as CEO.

“Together with Steph, Chris and Kirsten, we have a new leadership team with the skills and experience to maintain and extend the role of the Innovation Centre, at the core of the most successful technology cluster in Europe.”

David Gill commented: “SJIC has undergone significant change since I started in 2008 but remains true to its mission of providing a dynamic, supportive home for innovative new firms.

“Its secret sauce is the loyalty and dedication of its staff. As I ‘cross the floor’ to help run a start-up – Carbon13, the venture builder for the climate emergency – I am confident that the new team here is a perfect cultural fit to move St John’s Innovation Centre on to its next exciting chapter.”