At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Chairman operating in the Electronics space. If you think a Chairman is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Richard Grogan
Founder & Executive Chairman of Zenaura
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About Zenaura: Zenaura is a IoT controlled home fragrance with aspirational design.
John Hughes
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Spectris
John Hughes CBE has more than 30 years’ experience leading global, high-technology businesses. He has significant experience of managing growth companies, especially those supplying complex solutions and services to business customers and the development of leadership teams. He previously held senior executive positions at Thales Group, Lucent Technologies and Hewlett Packard, and was non-executive chairman of Intec Telecom Systems plc, a non-executive director of Chloride Group plc and the Vitec Group plc. Until 2015 he was executive chairman of Sepura plc. In 2016 he stepped down as executive chairman of Telecity Group plc. Non-executive chairman of Just Eat plc. Non-executive director of CSG International Inc. and Equinix Inc. (both NASDAQ-listed companies). Ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society.
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About : Spectris is a supplier of productivity-enhancing instrumentation and controls.
Guy Hands
Chairman of EMI Group
Guy is Terra Firma’s Chairman and Founder. He is the Chief Investment Officer and sits on the boards of the general partner of each of the Terra Firma funds. Guy started his career with Goldman Sachs International where he went on to become Head of Eurobond Trading and then Head of Goldman Sachs’ Global Asset Structuring Group. During this time, Guy was a leading pioneer in the development of securitisation, extending the practice beyond simple debt instruments to include assets such as shopping malls, mobile home parks and distressed loans. Guy left Goldman Sachs in 1994 for Nomura International plc, where he established the Principal Finance Group (‘PFG’). PFG went on to undertake ground-breaking deals involving trains, housing and pubs, among other areas, using securitised debt to finance acquisitions. In 2002, he led the spin-out of PFG to form Terra Firma. Since 1994, Guy has overseen the investment of more than €17 billion in 34 businesses with a total enterprise value of more than €48 billion. Guy has an MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Mansfield College, Oxford University. He was elected a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2000 in recognition of his achievements. In 2012, Guy was named the 20th most influential figure in Private Equity International’s ‘100 Most Influential of the Decade’. Guy is the President of ‘Access for Excellence’, a campaign based at Mansfield College, Oxford which promotes the broadest possible access to higher education in the UK. He is a Bancroft Fellow of Mansfield College and supports the college’s Annual Hands Lecture. He is also a member of the University of Oxford Chancellor’s Court of Benefactors. Additionally, Guy is a Fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
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About EMI Group, Terra Firma: EMI is a multinational music recording and publishing, and electronics device and systems manufacturing company.
Dame Patricia Hodgson
Chairman of Ofcom
Patricia Hodgson was appointed Chairman of Ofcom for a 3 year term from April 2014. She was appointed as a Member of the Ofcom Board in July 2011 and became Deputy Chairman in January 2012. She is Chairman of Ofcom’s Nominations Committee and a member of Ofcom’s Remuneration Committee and Risk and Audit Committee. Having begun her career as a producer and journalist, she was Director of Policy and Planning at the BBC from 1993 to 2000, where she was responsible for Charter and licence renegotiations and for project managing the BBC’s switch to digital. From 2000 to the end of 2003 she was Chief Executive of the Independent Television Commission. She is a member of the independent cross party Commission established by Government in July 2015 to review the Freedom of Information Act 2000. She was Chair of the School Teachers’ Review Body (2012 – 2014), Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge (2006 – August 2012), a non-executive director of The Competition Commission (2004 – end 2011) and a Member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (2005 – Sept 2011). She also chaired the Higher Education Regulation Review Group (2004 – 2006). Patricia was a Member of the Wellcome Trust from 2004 – 2008 and of the Committee for Standards in Public Life for the same period. She has also served as a non-executive director of GCap plc and as a Member of the Statistics Commission. She was a Member of the BBC Trust from its inception until June 2011.
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About : Ofcom is the UK’s communications regulator.
Andy Neate
Chairman of Photongrow
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About Photongrow: Photongrow is a London-based electrical and electronic manufacturing company.
David Fyfe
Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Bodle Technologies
David is a founder and Executive Chairman of Bodle Technologies. His career spans several top management positions in both Europe and the United States, and he has held board positions in several firms over the years. As Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Display Technologies (CDT), he took a laboratory-based spin-off to a NASDAQ flotation and a subsequent $285m trade sale. David is also the Executive Chairman of Oxford Photovoltaics. As a resident of Jacksonville, Florida, David also serves on the board of Cambridge in America foundation.
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About Bodle Technologies: Developing SRD® technology for a low-power display of vivid colours that doesn’t look washed out in bright conditions
Mike Tobin
Chairman of Ultraleap
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About : Ultraleap is working to create the most remarkable connection between people and technology.
Richard Constant
Executive Chairman of Living PlanIT SA
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About Living PlanIT SA, Planit Ventures: Living PlanIT SA is a software development and data analysis company that developed the first Urban Operating System.
Neil Heywood
Executive Chairman of Two Big Ears Ltd
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About Two Big Ears Ltd: Two Big Ears is a Scottish company specialising in creating efficient audio toolkits for game and virtual reality developers.
Nigel Litchfield
Chairman of Antenova
Nigel Litchfield served as Acting Chief Executive Officer of Liquavista B.V. until August 19, 2009. Litchfield served as President of Vertu , the wholly owned luxury mobile phone subsidiary of Nokia from 2002 to 2004. Litchfield served as Senior Vice President of Nokia Mobile Phones responsible for APAC region based in Singapore and Hong Kong, where he established Nokia as the leading brand in Asia. He served as Senior Vice President of Global Product Marketing of Nokia Mobile Phones from 1992 to 1996, Managing Director of Nokia Mobile Phones UK and he served as a member of the Nokia Mobile Phones Board for over 10 years from 1992 to 2002. He held management positions in retail marketing and purchasing for major retailers such as Currys, Dixons, Texas Homecare. Litchfield served as Purchasing Director of Granada Rental and Retail. Litchfield has more than 14 years of executive and product management experience within Nokia Mobile Phones. He has been Chairman and Director of Liquavista B.V. since May 2008. Litchfield served as Chairman and Director of Antenova Ltd.
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About Antenova: Antenova develops and supplies standard and custom antennas, and radio frequency antenna modules.
Nigel Gifford
Founder and Chairman of Windhorse Aerospace
Nigel Gifford OBE CP Eng.(Aero) Chairman / Founder Windhorse Aerospace Nigel is best described as an eclectic solutions architect ~ drawing on skills, practical experience, and research acquired at different times of his life. It is from his aeronautical, skydiving and catering background he conceived the Pouncer(tm) food carrying AV that is also made of edible components. Presently, using his specialist knowledge in feeding in non-human environments, Nigel is working to get Pouncer(tm) into service with his team, and is working in the critical food technology area to ensure that the food cargo and edible structure are fit for purpose on deployment as first response into disaster areas Biography Brought up in a busy restaurant, and then trained as a chef at the Army School of Catering, Nigel has extensive knowledge of differing styles of cuisine. This includes feeding explorers and adventurers in remote and hostile environments, as well as cooking at 26,000ft on Mt Everest in 1976. He wrote the present Royal Geographical Society catering manual and his advice is still sought for extreme expeditions. As an aerospace solutions architect Nigel has designed equipment for UK Special Forces, and built protective equipment housings for the RAF Tornado. In 1991 he designed a special camera platform for the first ever hot air balloon flight at 33,000ft over Mt Everest and worked on Sir Richard Branson’s round the world balloon project advising on the small capsule’s internal ergonomic layout, feeding, and the living routines for the crew confined inside. Prior to Windhorse, he was Managing Director of the Ascenta™ – The high-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned aerial vehicle acquired by Facebook in 2014 to provide Internet access into the developing world. The aircraft has since been renamed Aquila by Facebook.
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About Windhorse Aerospace: Windhorse Aerospace has created the world’s first purpose-built UAV/Drone intended for humanitarian aid delivery – POUNCER.
Mike Reilly
Executive Chairman of ETher NDE
Mike was previously Group Managing Director of Sonatest PLC from 1989 to 2009, during which time the group grew from a $2m to $25m business.
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About ETher NDE: ETher is a manufacturer of Eddy Current Testing (ECT) non-destructive testing NDT equipment.
