The University of Manchester Innovation Factory

Creating positive social, economic, and environmental impact through the commercialisation of the IP developed at The University of Manchester.

Andrew Wilkinson, CEO

Andrew Wilkinson

An alumnus of the University, Andrew is a successful CEO and Managing Director with extensive experience growing international technology companies. He spent many years leading complex, multi-national businesses, operating across a wide range of sectors. He specialises in the industrialisation and commercialisation of innovative technologies, business growth and turn-around.

Andrew joined the University in mid-2016 as CEO of its subsidiary company Graphene Enabled Systems Ltd (GES). Before joining GES, Andrew was Regional Managing Director of the French power equipment manufacturer Socomec SA. At Socomec, Andrew led three subsidiaries covering North America and the British Isles, where he significantly grew the businesses’ revenue, profitability and market share.

Prior to this, he was Sales and Marketing Director of a group business of ICI plc, which manufactured a broad range of industrial and consumer products based on coated and thermally stabilised PET film.

Jane Shelton, Director of Corporate Services 

Jane Shelton

Jane is responsible for finance, legal, IP Services, IT & HR at the Innovation Factory. Here, she has gained extensive experience and offered valuable contributions in her role as Corporate Services Director, which she has held (in similarly titled roles) since 2007.

Jane has been employed by the University since 1993, and has been within the technology transfer office since 2007.

Roisin McCallion, Director of Business Development, Investment and Licensing

Roisin McCallion

Roisin McCallion is Director of Business Development, Investment and Licensing at The University of Manchester Innovation Factory. 

She holds a PhD in drug delivery, conducting postdoctoral research in cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and wound healing before joining Smith & Nephew plc as a research scientist, then moving into Business Development.  

Roisin has over 20 years of Corporate M&A and Licensing experience, prior to joining the Innovation Factory in 2017 to lead the commercialisation of The University of Manchester inventions.

Duncan Henderson, Head of Innovation Discovery

Duncan Henderson

As Head of Innovation Discovery, Duncan's role is to lead a team of project managers whose remit is to reach out across the University to find new inventions and discoveries and to assess their commercial attractiveness.  

Before joining the Innovation Factory, Duncan was the Chief Technical Officer for Microbiosensor, a University spinout aiming to commercialise In vitro diagnostic tests using tetrazolium chemistries to detect infections.

Prior to this Duncan was Research Manager and then CEO of another spinout, Ai2, which was focussed on commercialising a family of antimicrobial peptides, with its main area of interest being prevention of contact lens-related infections.

Duncan also worked in R&D at a large pharmaceutical company – AstraZeneca - for 20 years, leading teams identifying new targets, and managing drug discovery projects in respiratory, inflammation, infection and diabetes, as well as with novel types of therapeutics such as antibodies, siRNAs, antisense and aptamers.

Duncan’s PhD was on the molecular genetics of the antibiotic-producing bacteria Streptomyces.