Cambridge Enterprise, which commercialises technology emanating from the university, has triggered an early search for a CEO to replace the inspirational Dr Tony Raven who plans to retire from the role by the end of 2021.

Dr Raven says the objective is to ensure a planned succession and seamless interregnum. 

It is a strategy that was lacking when previous incumbent Terri Willey left but to his immense credit, Dr Raven not only got up to speed in impressive fashion but has further broadened the reputational capital of Cambridge Enterprise ever since.

Under his leadership, CE has increased awareness of its funding and mentoring prowess across the university colleges and throughout its thriving entrepreneurship community. 

Dons and faculty – and notably nextgen entrepreneurs in the student community are more aware than ever that CE can smooth the passage from IP protection and enhancement to commercialisation.

And on a broader scale, Dr Raven has furthered connections with alumni who have built successful global businesses in their own right; they have boosted the investment and expertise pools now available to today’s and tomorrow’s Cambridge crops of start-ups and spinouts.

It is fair to say that thanks to Dr Raven’s outlook and outreach skills awareness of Cambridge University research, science and technology innovation has never been better known or presented.

Dr Raven joined Cambridge Enterprise as CEO in December 2011. Starting in academia and before coming back into academia, Dr Raven had a long history as a successful technology entrepreneur. 

The companies he has founded include Summit Technology, the pioneer of laser refractive surgery, which was acquired by Nestle Alcon in 2000 for $893 million; publicly-quoted Cambridge technology consultancy Sagentia plc; and Diomed Inc, a pioneer of surgical diode lasers which was listed in the US in 2002 before being acquired by a Angiodynamics Inc in 2008.

He says Cambridge Enterprise’s role is to support university staff and students in creating world-class societal benefit through commercialisation of their world-leading research and scholarship. 

His aspiration for Cambridge Enterprise is to ‘have fun and make a difference’ supporting the full breadth of opportunities across the campus, from archaeology to zoology, with an ambition worthy of a university of Cambridge’s international standing.

This strategy has resulted in tremendous growth for Cambridge Enterprise; since 2011, its venture funding capacity has grown by 730 per cent, the number of spin-outs created has gone up by 250 per cent, and its consultancy support service has increased by 90 per cent. 

Today, Cambridge Enterprise is one of the most successful offices internationally. Compared to its international peers, it generates more licences per £/$ of research funding and at the lowest cost per licence, while Cambridge University spin-outs have raised the largest amount of investment in total over the past five years.

Dr Raven is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Member of the Institute of Directors.