Surrey Research Park appoints new Chair of the Board

Isabel is a General Partner of Outsized Ventures, an early-stage deep-tech VC fund. She is also a main Council Member at Innovate UK and Senior Advisor to Oxford Sciences Innovation.

Prior to Outsized Ventures, she founded and exited three companies and spent 6 years in Silicon Valley as both founder and Angel Investor.

Isabel is a frequent contributor and thought leader, appearing on Bloomberg Radio, BBC 5 Live, BBC World News, BBC News Channel, speaking at Women of Silicon Roundabout 2019, and was recognised as one of Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in UK Tech 2019 and 2020.

Isabel replaces Sally Howes, who chaired the Surrey Research Park Board for three years, prior to becoming Chair of Council at the University of East Anglia.

Isabel Fox, Chair of the Board at Surrey Research Park, comments:

“Many businesses at Surrey Research Park are making substantial contributions to the UK’s science and technology advancement and helping build the economy as we begin to recover from the pandemic. I am looking forward to joining the community, helping steer further growth and impact as we forge ahead in our drive to be a big part of the Government’s Innovation Strategy and vision to make the UK a global hub for innovation.”

Grant Bourhill, CEO of Surrey Research Park, comments:

“The Surrey Research Park is a hot-bed of innovation, with over 200 companies and 4000 employees, working in a broad range of sectors including space, animal and human health, digital and the environment. I am thrilled with Isabel’s appointment. She brings substantial experience scaling technology companies, and I am looking forward to working with her to further grow our impact regionally and nationally.”

David Sampson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation at The University of Surrey, comments:

“We are delighted Isabel is joining us. Her appointment will be invaluable in the enrichment of our innovation ecosystem at Surrey with her wealth of investment experience in disruptive technology. Isabel has a clear ethos to push the boundaries of science and technology to solve the world’s greatest challenges. This resoundingly echoes the University of Surrey’s research and innovation mission, with initiatives such as our new people-centred AI Institute.