Science and technology-focused developer Sciontec has appointed a former chief executive of Salford City Council and of housing group Plus Dane as its first independent chairperson.
Liverpool-based Sciontec owns and operates three Liverpool Science Park buildings, which operate at 95% capacity, manages the serviced office space Sciontec AI, at The Spine, and is developing an office and labs building called HEMISPHERE at the Paddington Village regeneration scheme. This year it reopened the flagship gold-panelled former Sensor City building in Liverpool as Central Tech, which it hopes will become “a global hub for innovation in health, life sciences, technology and digitalisation”.
Barbara Spicer CBE will become chair next month. She was chief executive at Salford for seven years until 2013 and was interim,CEO at the Ƶ national Skills Funding Agency before taking charge at Merseyside and Cheshire social housing group Plus Dane.
Sciontec had been chaired on a rotating basis by representatives from its shareholders Liverpool City Council, University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Bruntwood SciTech. Ms Spicer will become its first independent chair on November 24 when she succeeds Prof Mark Power, vice-chancellor at LJMU.
Professor Power, who will remain on the board, said: “It has been a privilege to chair Sciontec over the past three years, a period during which we have achieved significant occupancy growth across our portfolio of innovation assets with the arrival and inception of numerous businesses, while also adding a new location, CENTRAL TECH, to our roster.
“We are pleased to have been able to attract somebody of Barbara’s calibre to lead the Board onwards and are looking forward to working with her.”
Ms Spicer said: “The board and team at Sciontec have achieved an incredible amount in a short period of time, and I am excited to join them at this point in their journey. I am sure we will continue to strengthen this innovative partnership, broadening our portfolio and giving more opportunities to those pioneering people and businesses who will play a key role in growing the city region’s economy.
“Personally, it is a privilege to be able to contribute to such an exciting agenda in my home city.”
Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Sciontec and KQ Liverpool, said: “Sciontec creates sustainable spaces where innovative businesses can collaborate, develop ideas and expand their commercial horizons.
“With Barbara as our first independent chair, we feel confident she can bring to bear an impressive track record across major organisations that will help us to expand our innovation portfolio, whilst also enabling us to continue to contribute to the development of the world-class innovation ecosystem here in the KQ Liverpool Innovation District.”
