School of Entrepreneurship & Business
Enterprise Fellowship Scheme: Members Bio
Professor Alan Barrell
[Senior Enterprise Fellow]
Following a scientific training and six years working in the hospital laboratory service, Alan Barrell has spent almost 30 years in senior executive positions in technology-based industries. He worked around the world with Baxter Healthcare, the world’s largest Health technology company, and was Chief Executive of Baxter UK for six years. Subsequently he switched industries and joined a very small ‘Cambridge Phenomenon’ company in industrial electronics; Domino Printing Sciences, as Managing Director. Alan stayed six years, during which time Domino grew internationally and was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Today Domino has revenues of £300 million plus a market capitalisation approaching £400 million.
Alan’s last full-time Chief Executive position was six years with Willett International, a manufacturing and marketing company in industrial electronics which now has businesses in 150 countries, 26 overseas subsidiaries and sales of close to £100m. From early 1998 until 2002 Alan’s business life was spread between non-executive chairmanship of smaller technology companies, engagement with NW Brown Capital Partners in raising a new regional early stage technology venture capital fund of £35m, ‘The Cambridge Gateway Fund’ and work with charities in which he has special interests. These include the Papworth Trust, The Royal Society of Arts Manufactures and Commerce (where he has been Treasurer and member of the Trustee Board) and The Centre for Tomorrow’s Company of which he was Vice Chairman. During 2001 and 2002 he was Chair of the Steering Committee of the Cambridge International Enterprise Conference now held annually.
From the beginning of 2000 until April 2002 Alan worked full-time as Director and Managing Partner of NW Brown Capital Partners Ltd, raising and investing the Cambridge Gateway Fund. He has also become closely associated with three Business Angel Groups in Cambridge . The Cambridge Gateway Fund was recently voted ‘Investor of the Year’ in the Cambridge Evening News Business Excellence Awards 2002.
Alan’s most recent appointments have been as the Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Cambridge Entrepreneurship Centre , Visiting Professor of Enterprise at the University of Luton , School of Graduate Business Studies , Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Xiamen, China and Senior Enterprise Fellow at the University of Essex . He has also been appointed Chairman of Health Enterprise East, Medilink East, E-Financial Management Ltd and of the biotech company Advanced Protein Systems Ltd.
Alan was appointed the first Senior Enterprise Fellow, University of Essex School Southend of Entrepreneurship and Business. In July 2005, Alan was presented with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion - one of the first ten individuals awarded this new honour.
Alan Barrell has been conferred the Honorary Degree - ‘Doctor of Business Administration’ (DBA) by the University of Luton, in recognition of his work in the UK and internationally of the encouragement and development of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in others.