We can act as a non-advocate independent group to bounce your ideas off

Sam Beale

The objectives of this post are: to raise the profile of innovation within the Department; to provide inspiration, mentoring and knowledge on the practice of innovation to students and academics; and to strengthen collaboration with industry. This position is shared by three people with different backgrounds and experience: Pieter Knook, Sam Beale and Rick Mitchell. Although they work as a team, each has a particular focus: Pieter Knook on graduate students, Sam Beale on Staff and Rick Mitchell on the undergraduate population.

Pieter Knook is currently Chairman of Better Generation (a renewable energy start up), Pulsant (a UK hosting company focused on SME) and The Institution (a Swedish mobile device management company), and serves on several boards as well as being a Cambridge Angel and Venture Partner with Octopus. He was formerly Director of Internet Services at Vodafone, and spent 18 years in senior roles at Microsoft (including Senior Vice President Mobile Communications and President of Microsoft Asia).

Sam Beale was, until 2012, Head of Technology Strategy at Rolls-Royce Group. This role included management of the company’s University Technology Centre network, and support for the Chief Scientific Officer, the Directors of Engineering and Technology and Research and Technology. He formerly held a range of senior design and engineering positions within the company.

Rick Mitchell is currently a visiting fellow in the Institute for Manufacturing and Visiting Professor of Innovation Management at Cranfield School of management. He was formerly Group Technical and Quality Director at Domino Printing Sciences, International Development Manager with Philips Mobile Radio and Senior Corporate Planner for Philips Electronics UK.