Surrey Nanosystems

Management Team

David Wong - CEO

David Wong, CEODavid joined SNS in March 2009, having previously worked at BOC Edwards, where he ran the c. £400M global Vacuum Equipment Division. He has deep experience in advanced technology development targeted at the Semiconductor and Scientific Instrument sectors, and in supplying these demanding, technology-driven Customers. This, coupled with his breadth of management and operational experience, brings core expertise to the management team.

Lars McBride - Chairman

Following a career in corporate finance in London where he held a number of
positions including Head of European Mergers & Acquisitions at Chase
Manhattan, McBride has worked for 18 years with a broad spread of
engineering businesses, including as president of a supplier of gas analysis
equipment to the semiconductor fabrication market. Currently, he is on the
boards of six other businesses, ranging from well-established companies to
start-ups

Ben Jensen - CTO

Brings 20 years of experience in vacuum and thin film processing systems, materials and techniques. Prior to founding Surrey NanoSystems he helped to start and run the thin film deposition system maker, CEVP. Over CEVP's life from 1999 to 2005, this company became a significant player in the design and manufacture of high-end sputtering tools for research and development, with customers including IBM, Motorola, Seagate and renowned research institutions.

Board of directors

Gerry Thurgood

Brings over 35 years of semiconductor industry experience to Surrey NanoSystems. Starting with the industry leader TI, in 1979 he became CEO of Thermo/SVG Systems and went on to become President and MD of the European arm of Tokyo Electron Ltd (Japan). Later became co-chairman of Tokyo Electron Europe, and VP of Corporate Strategic Planning and Globalization in Japan. In 2005 he went on to acquire Thermco/SVG from Aviza and set up manufacturing and worldwide distribution of the Thermco range.

David Wong

(see above)

Ben Jensen 

(see above)

Professor Ravi Silva

Director of Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), and Head of its NanoElectronics Centre (research is backed by £10 m EPSRC Portfolio Partnership and SRIF awards). Has overseen much pioneering nanotechnology work, including co-authoring the seminal paper in Nature Materials: 'Large area synthesis of carbon nanofibres at room temperature'. Recipient of UNESCO Albert Einstein Silver Medal, Javed Husain Prize, IEE Achievement Award and IoP Experimental Physics Charles Vernon Boys Medal. Sits on EPSRC's Technical Opportunities Panel and Nanotechnology Task Force.

Alan Aubrey

Joint founder and Chief Executive of Techtran Group Ltd, the first in Europe to offer a complete outsourced technology transfer function to universities. Techtran was acquired by IP Group. Also Non-Executive Chairman of Proactis and Energetix Group (both are AIM listed companies). From 1995-2002 a partner in KPMG where he specialized in advising fast growing technology businesses. Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. Non-Executive Director of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Keith Robson

Responsible for strategic direction of UniSdirect (a University of Surrey unit which works to maximize performance in research, enterprise and knowledge transfer). Before joining UniS, he was Director of Enterprise at Brunel University. Previously, he had a career in electronic and instrumentation manufacturing, latterly in MD roles. He took one company to a successful trade sale, and set up a spin-out in vision systems - subsequently acquired by Sumitomo.

Alliot Cole

Alliott joined Octopus Ventures in April 2008. He is involved in all aspects of the investment process from the evaluation and assessment of new opportunities, to the negotiation and documentation of deal terms, through to the monitoring and support of portfolio companies post investment. Prior to joining Octopus, Alliott spent four years at the international law firm ashurst, where he worked within the corporate finance and private equity team advising on a number of high profile MBO, IPO, takeover and merger transactions for various clients including Goldman Sachs, Apax Partners, Sporting Bet, N M Rothschild and Terra Firma. Alliott is a Director of the British Business Angel Association and the University of Oxford society Oxford Entrepreneurs. He also sits as a Board Observer at The Key Revolution, Graze and Villas to Go. Alliott graduated with an MA (Hons) in Literae Humaniores from Oxford University.

Tim Bullock

Tim is a co-founder of New Wave Ventures LLP and leads its investment activities. He had a successful career in finance, with 14 years as a Managing Director with Lloyds TSB. Although coming from a finance background, Tim is more interested in innovation and the management challenges in business. He aims to spread best practice and ideas among the boards on which he represents New Wave.