Business leader and materials scientist Dr John Grasmeder has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director to the Henry Royce Institute.
Dr Grasmeder, who is Chief Scientist at Victrex, the UK-based producer of high-performance polymers, said he was delighted to be part of the Royce team and looking forward to supporting its ambitious mission.
The Henry Royce Institute is the national organisation based in Manchester that is leading on advanced materials research and applications.
“The Royce will be a catalyst in driving the development of the advanced materials sector across the UK – and I’m looking forward to supporting this ambitious mission,” said Dr Grasmeder.
Andrew Hosty, CEO for the Royce, added: “John, who has many years’ experience in industry, will be a great asset to our team – he is a materials scientist who understands the challenges of the business environment.”
Baroness Brown of Cambridge and chair of the Royce, also said about the latest appointment: “John will bring highly relevant experience to the board, his wide international network and commercial expertise will be critical to the development of the Royce as a world-leading materials institute.”
Dr Grasmeder has over 25 years’ experience in the polymer industry, including R&D and commercial leadership with positions at ICI, BASF, Hoechst and Shell joint ventures in both the UK and Germany.
He has been with Victrex 12 years, and was Technical Director from 2010 before being becoming Chief Scientist in 2016.
Dr Grasmeder chairs the Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry’s Industry Steering Group and is a member of the Knowledge Centre Materials Chemistry (KCMC) governing board. He is also a consortium board member of the Thermoplastics Composites Research Centre in the Netherlands; a member of the Chemistry Growth Partnership’s Accelerating Innovation Team; and has been appointed to the British Standards Institution’s Committee for the Testing of Plastics.
The Henry Royce Institute brings together world-leading academics from across the UK, and works closely with industry to ensure commercialisation of fundamental research. Founding partners include the universities of Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds, Imperial College London, Oxford and Cambridge, plus the UK Atomic Energy Agency and the National Nuclear Laboratory.
Victrex is an innovative world leader in high performance polymer solutions and focused on the strategic markets of automotive, aerospace, energy, electronics and medical. The company contributes to a range of products from smart phones, aeroplanes and cars to oil and gas operations and medical devices.
