Jacqui Murray has been appointed as chief operating officer. She is the former deputy director of Innovate UK’s Faraday Battery Challenge and managing director of Britishloop. She is also the current chair of Smart Nano NI, a large-scale investment programme into advanced manufacturing in Northern Ireland; an advisor to a range of government and industry bodies and is also a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor.
Meanwhile, following a highly competitive recruitment process, internal candidate, Stephen Fitzpatrick, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, has been appointed to the newly created position, director - NMIS Digital Factory. Stephen previously led the NMIS machining and additive research division in his role as senior knowledge exchange fellow.
The news follows the recent appointment of Chris Courtney as chief executive Ooficer last year.
Jacqui will be responsible for directing the organisation’s ongoing business operations, leading a number of business-critical teams working across the whole Group including finance, health and safety and engineering services. She will play a vital role in driving NMIS forward into the next phase of its development.
Stephen will be leading the new NMIS Digital Factory, one of the five specialist centres within the NMIS Group. He will provide the vision and leadership to drive forward the centre in its ambition to transform the manufacturing landscape in Scotland and the wider UK through spearheading the development of innovative digital technologies applied into manufacturing processes.
Operated by the University of Strathclyde, NMIS brings together industry, academia, innovators and the public sector to accelerate advanced manufacturing innovation, drive productivity, sustainability and prosperity across Scotland and the wider UK.
Comprising the Advanced Forming Research Centre, Lightweight Manufacturing Centre, Manufacturing Skills Academy, Digital Factory and the recently announced, Digital Process Manufacturing Centre, the group is supported by the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council and Renfrewshire Council. It is part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, which is funded through Innovate UK.
