CaSE Board

Robert is a Technology and Policy Advisor.  He is the CEO of the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator, Chairs the NPL Science and Technology Advisory Council, Chairs UKRPIF and is a strategic advisor to NCUB.  Prior to that he was BP’s Vice President for Research & Innovation for BP’s global Formulated Products (Fuels and Lubricants) Technology, and also BP’s technology policy advisor for the UK and EU. Robert joined BP in 1987 from Durham University having earlier completed his PhD at Cambridge University.

Lesley Yellowlees is an Inorganic Chemist with interests in renewable energy, public engagement of science and promoting women in science. Lesley was Head of the School of Chemistry and then Vice Principal and Head of the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. She was President of the Royal Society of Chemistry from 2012-14, their first woman president in 175 years. She was awarded an MBE in 2005 for services to science, a CBE for services to Chemistry in 2014 and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2012.

Ngozi has worked through most finance and commercial functions at strategic level. She built her business investing in real estate and building houses in various countries and is also an associate lecturer of leading contemporary organizations and executive leadership & governance. She has been a board member supporting several charities for over 15 years and currently NED of Audit & Risk committee of Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS).

Perdita has a portfolio of board roles across the private, public, charity and university sectors, with a specific interest in innovation, sustainability, partnerships and skills. Roles include chair of National Numeracy, NED at National Lottery Community Fund and the University of Edinburgh. A former JP Morgan investment banker, she has 15+ years experience in US and UK cleantech and 30 years’ involvement with several youth/employability charities.

Ron has held executive positions in information and analytics companies including seven years as CEO at Elsevier and five years as President/COO at IHS. He is currently Vice Chair and Supervisory Board Member at Fugro N.V., the world’s leading geo-data specialist and a Non-a Non-Executive Director at Ordnance Survey.

Professor Andrew Jones is Vice-Chancellor and President of Brunel University. He is an inter-disciplinary social scientist with a background as an economic geographer. Andrew is a trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Academy of Social Science and holds several UKRI appointments.

Stephen has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Glasgow Science Centre since 2012. Stephen’s background is in engineering and he holds a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Electrical Engineering, both from the University of Strathclyde.

Bryony brings in-depth knowledge of R&D policy, funding and implementation in Government from over 20 years of experience working in the R&D sector. She has worked as a civil servant across several government departments on a range of policy issues including leading work on the case for investment in research and innovation. She played a leading role in setting up of UKRI and the Higher Education and Research Act before leading work on infrastructure investment and financial sustainability for UKRI. She is currently Director Research and Innovation at Queen Mary University London where she oversees research support functions, impact, business development, PGR support and other key programmes.

Helen has worked on research and innovation policy in the UK for nearly a decade. She is currently the Head of Innovation, Analysis and Public affairs at the Royal Academy of Engineering, where she works with engineers from industry and academia to produce, evidence-based and timely policy advice to inform the environment needed for UK engineering research and innovation to thrive. She has completed two secondments in the civil service, most recently on science and technology strategy in the Cabinet Office. Before moving into policy, she enjoyed working in academia as a molecular microbiologist.

Kerry’s passion for science began with a degree in Physiological Sciences, followed by a 30-year career in the pharmaceutical industry.

As GSK’s Vice President of Corporate Brand & Reputation, she led the creation of the GSK brand and built global partnerships with organisations like LOCOG / London 2012, McLaren F1, Save the Children, Comic Relief and the Science Museum. Kerry drove GSK’s ‘science at the heart’ campaign, engaging non-scientific audiences with the beauty of science, and was the company’s media spokesperson for the UK Young Scientist and Engineer of the Year.

Kerry’s Board experience includes 7 years as a Governor at University of West London and 3 years on the CaSE Discovery Decade Advisory Board. Kerry is now co-founder of The Girls Club, with an ambition to unleash women leaders’ potential at home and work.

Dr. Shini Somara is a multi-award winning STEM broadcaster and mechanical engineer with a specialism in Computational Fluid Dynamics. She was the recipient of the Royal Academy of Engineering Rooke Award 2024 for her two decades of work in popularising science, engineering and innovation in the form of books, TV and digital media. Her two successful YouTube series, Crash Course Physics and Engineering have accumulated 61 million views to date. Her seventh book title, “Engineers Making a Difference” for 11+ year olds was donated to all UK secondary state schools (approx. 16,000 copies).

Shini is on the Board of Trustees of PK Porthcurno and a panel member at English Heritage, The Blue Plaques Committee for English Heritage. She is a Fellow of The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineering Designers, and was appointed Pro-Chancellor of Brunel University, London in 2023.

Katrina is Director of Reputation for Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London. Previously she was UKRI’s founding Director of External Relations, Communications and Public Engagement leading UKRI’s extensive communications and public engagement programmes for six years.. Katrina brings a wealth of communications experience from across the research and innovation sector.

Prior to joining UKRI in 2018, Katrina was Director of Communications at Genomics England for four years, and previously held roles as Head of External Affairs at the Student Loans Company, and Head of Media and Communications at Wellcome, where she strengthened the Trust’s reputation as the authoritative voice of research, innovation and public engagement – both in the UK and internationally.

Katrina brings experience of the university sector, having worked as Press and PR manager at the University of Edinburgh where she worked to deliver a shift towards a more proactive approach to research communications and media relations.

Sharmela is a Partner at Gowling WLG, an international law firm, based in London. She works with innovative technology and life sciences organisations, supporting breakthroughs in fields such as biotech, medtech, foodtech and agritech. Her practice spans the full lifecycle of innovation, from early-stage development through to commercialisation, helping organisations navigate complex legal and regulatory landscapes.

Her experience spans both private practice with in-house roles at leading pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. This combination of perspectives gives her a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing organisations at the forefront of science and technology.

Sharmela also serves on the West London & GTAC (Gene Therapy Advisory Committee) NHS Research Ethics Committee, where she contributes to the ethical review of research involving cutting-edge technologies. She holds an LLB (Hons) and an LLM from King’s College London.

CaSE requires Board members to disclose any private interests they have which may conflict, or may be perceived to conflict, with CaSE’s business. Click here to see the current list of disclosures.