Date: 08.02.2019
South Wales-based Catapult grows its team from three to 55 in one year
Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult is pleased to welcome a new Non-Executive Director to its board and has appointed a Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) to complete its leadership team.
Non-Executive Director Angela Noon, CFO Siemens UK and Ireland, who joined the board in January, lends her expertise to the audit and risk committee. Her experience will be invaluable in ensuring that all appropriate governance and compliance is followed within the Catapult. Angela will also be pivotal to the next stage of the implementation of the strategy, the growth of the Catapult and be part of driving innovation in the compound semiconductor sector.
Angela said: “My decision to join the Catapult board is a reflection of my keen interest in digitalisation and disruption. I am passionate about the Catapult programme, helping to position the UK as a centre of competence and growing UK business in line with the government’s digital agenda. At Siemens, we are looking at smart infrastructure and CSA Catapult’s ambition dovetails with this. Compound semiconductors will enable crucial technologies that simply would not be possible without them.”
As CCO, Amar Abid-Ali, who comes from leading a large business development team at Future Electronics, will oversee the business development, communications, market research and intelligence teams and will drive the generation of commercial business and collaborative R&D projects for the Catapult. He brings with him sector specific technology and market knowledge and is experienced in the government’s four Industrial Challenge areas: Artificial Intelligence and Data, the Ageing Society, Clean Growth and the Future of Mobility.
Commenting on his new role, Amar said: “I’m very pleased to be joining the Catapult, bringing my entrepreneurial experience into the mix. I see this as a great opportunity to help drive the major technological change that compound semiconductors will bring and make the UK competitive in the related industries.”
With analysts predicting that the world market for compound semiconductors will increase from $74 billion today to over $300 billion by 2030*, it is essential that the UK plays a substantial part in that growth and the Catapult is here to help make that happen. The CSA Catapult is set to create around 100 new jobs internally and by 2023 it aims to have helped create 1,000 new high-tech jobs within the businesses it has supported around the whole of the UK.
Commenting on these new appointments, Catapult CEO Stephen Doran said: “It is great to welcome Angela and Amar to the team to build upon the professionalism and expertise that we already have in the Catapult. This is a pivotal year that sees us move into our facility which will be an innovation hub for the compound semiconductor industry. 2019 has already started very well for us and we look forward to a successful year focused around collaboration throughout the supply chain and accelerating further innovation in compound semiconductors in the UK.”
Chairman of the Board at CSA Catapult, Kevin Crofton said: “I am delighted that we now have a fully staffed leadership team with the arrival of Angela and Amar. We have exciting plans for the Catapult and now have the team in place to drive those plans forward. Over the next few months we expect to close on several important business wins and to move into our new facility where we look forward to embarking on a wide range of collaborative industry projects.”
*Source: Allied Analytics, BCC Research, CSA Catapult estimates
