AIRTO is pleased to confirm new member appointments to its Board

AIRTO is pleased to confirm new appointments of member directors to its Board with immediate effect. Fiona Auty of the National Physical Laboratory, Patrick Bonnett of the National Centre for Innovation in Ageing, and Vicky Pope of the Met Office have all been appointed as new Member Directors of AIRTO .

Dr. Paul Howarth, Chair of AIRTO, said:

“Fiona, Patrick and Vicky will bring a tremendous range of skills and expertise to the AIRTO Board and I am delighted they have agreed to join the team.”

Fiona Auty, National Physical Laboratory, NPL

Fiona joined NPL as a Junior Scientist with qualifications in electrical and software engineering. Following 8 years “at the bench” where she was involved in the development of the chip and pin card, she moved into a variety of roles that played to her strength – building relationships to communicate her love of science and the difference that it makes. She has created communications strategies and managed broad stakeholder groups for the majority of her career undertaking roles in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, FTSE 100 company – Serco and a number of smaller business focused schemes, as well as a long standing career in NPL.  She has also build businesses in training and knowledge transfer. As Head of Government Relations and Corporate Communications, Fiona oversees the governance and impact of the £80M of science expenditure on behalf of BEIS. She works with senior government stakeholders to build profile on the role and benefits of NPL and the broader AIRTO community. Fiona particularly enjoys navigating complexity, culture change and bringing simplicity to messages and processes that make a difference. An advocate of lifelong learning she is a Chartered Manager in the Chartered Management Institute, and a STEM champion with interest in supporting girls and non-traditional education routes such as apprenticeships.

Professor Patrick Bonnett, National Centre for Innovation in Ageing

Patrick is Development Director at the National Innovation Centre for Ageing located at Newcastle University. He has worked widely across the applied research and innovation arenas for over 30 years in organisations ranging from small technology start-ups to internationally recognised translational research laboratories. This includes 15 years working in Public Sector Research Establishments and Science Agencies. He is particularly interested in the construction and operation of innovation environments – physical and virtual; their organisational structures and functions and how they operate at regional, national and international scales.  Over recent years he has developed a particular interest in deep collaboration co-location models where innovation and research assets sit alongside ‘users’ of such research expertise to drive open innovation, commercialisation and economic growth. Patrick is Vice Chairman of the UK Science Park Association and a member of the Satellite Applications Catapult Regional Advisory Board. He is also a Professor of Practice in Innovation Environments at Newcastle University and acts as an Advisor to Government on the Ageing Grand Challenge.

Professor Vicky Pope, the Met Office

Vicky is Head of Science and Technology Futures at the Met Office. She is responsible for anticipating new requirements for weather and climate services, developing partnerships and promoting innovation. She led the Met Office response on publicly important and often contentious issues including climate change, air quality, drought and access to data. She is also exploring the innovative use of weather and climate data across a range of sectors. She is a member of the Met Office Government Services Board (responsible for 80% of Met Office  revenue) and has a range of senior advisory roles and board positions in government, universities, voluntary and private sectors. Boards include the judging panel for the Lloyd’s Science of Risk Prize, the Climate Change Commission for Wales, the Science  Advisory Board for Climate Change gallery at the Science Museum, the NERC National Capability National Public Good Assessment Panel, the Devon Wildlife Trust. Vicky’s previous roles include developing climate models and running the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme, including making science relevant to policy and to the public. Her work is published in the academic literature, national news media and popular environmental books.

Find out more about our Board