Oxford Science Enterprises appoints non-executive director

Published by

Peter Davison

Oxford Science Enterprises, the science business builder which transforms world-leading science from the University of Oxford into world-changing businesses, has announced the appointment of Richard Laxer to its Board of Directors, as an independent non-executive director.

Richard is a veteran of GE Capital, serving the company for 34 years before retiring in 2018 as CEO and Chairman. Richard held a number of senior executive roles at GE Capital across the US, Asia and Europe, leading global teams to develop and execute financing strategies that were critical to the success of a broad range of multi-billion-dollar world-leading businesses.

Since leaving GE Capital, Richard has used his experience and expertise to advise companies which are using cutting-edge and innovative technologies to disrupt the financial services industry. Richard has served as a senior advisor to Warburg Pincus and is currently a non-executive director to three of its portfolio companies: Vodeno Technology, Aion and Singular Bank.

“I am delighted to welcome Rich to the Board of Oxford Science Enterprises,” said Chris Chambers, Chairman of the Board. “He has had a hugely successful career in the global financial services industry, where he has an exceptional record of growing and transforming a diverse portfolio of businesses, including start-ups. His financial expertise and extensive networks are a complementary addition to the Board, and I look forward to working with him to leverage his leadership and operational experience to support our portfolio of high potential technology and life science companies that are poised to make a positive change to the world.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the Board of Oxford Science Enterprises,” said Richard Laxer. “The pioneering science and technology advancing from the University of Oxford has significant potential to address some of the major global impact challenges that we face today. I am excited to support the company in its investments and to champion these new ventures into disruptive new enterprises.”

Richard has proven experience navigating complex market conditions, managing enterprise risk alongside restructuring and integrating large businesses to deliver on financial targets. His extensive expertise of financing strategies includes, private equity, debt, corporate and commercial finance will be invaluable in directing Oxford Science Enterprises’ global ambition of transforming world-leading science into a high value portfolio of world-changing businesses.

Richard joined GE Capital in 1984 after gaining a Bachelor’s degree in Business, with a minor in Economics, from Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, US.

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.