New MD to lead University of Surrey’s commercialisation vehicle

Dr Jim Shaikh has been appointed managing director of Innovate Surrey Ltd, which helps academics at the University of Surrey launch spinouts and startups.

He joins Surrey from Imperial College London, where he’s head of the Greenhouse at Undaunted – the innovation arm of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment.

An engineer by trade, Jim earned a PhD in fluid mechanics at Cambridge and held academic roles at Queen Mary University of London before joining BMW in the UK and Germany.

He later built a virtual product design business within a consultancy, which sparked his passion for entrepreneurship – leading to an MBA at London Business School and a 15-year career running and scaling technology businesses.

His latest role at Imperial focused on commercialising university intellectual property and accelerating the progress of early-stage tech startups. 

“I’m thrilled to join the University of Surrey as managing director of Innovate Surrey Ltd, especially at such an exciting time in its journey,” said Jim.

“Working with colleagues across the university, I’m eager to help shape its technology transfer and commercialisation strategies to deliver real-world impact from its cutting-edge research.

“Surrey has a proud track record of innovation, particularly in areas such as space technologies and vehicle design, exemplifying its culture of thinking differently.

“My goal is to build on this culture by fostering an innovation community that isn’t afraid to be bold and disruptive.

“By pushing boundaries, we can ensure our research creates even greater impact and positively shapes our communities.”

Prof Lisa Collins, pro vice chancellor, research and innovation at Surrey, added: “Jim’s appointment marks a pivotal moment for the university’s ambitions for innovation.

“His wealth of experience and entrepreneurial spirit make him the perfect choice to lead Innovate Surrey Ltd and steer its mission of using commercialisation as a powerful vehicle for delivering both real-world impact and economic growth from our research.

“With Jim at the helm, we’re confident that Surrey will continue to grow as a hub for transformative innovation, locally, nationally and internationally.”

Among the most successful spinouts from the university is Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), with others in the fields of nanotechnology, AI and health diagnostics.