CENSIS – the Scottish Innovation Centre for sensor and imaging systems and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies – has appointed technology development and energy industry expert Jacqueline Redmond as its new chairperson.
Jacqueline brings to the role more than 25 years’ international experience in senior positions with energy majors, with particular expertise in risk management, business development and innovation. She replaces Bob Downes, who has chaired CENSIS since its inception.
Having graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a PhD in Energy Economics, Jacqueline joined ScottishPower in the mid-1990s. She led the company’s risk management team as it began to grow, adapt to de-regulation, and re-define the role of a utility, latterly becoming director of corporate strategy.
In 2006, Jacqueline was appointed by Royal Dutch Shell to develop its global LNG (liquefied natural gas) strategy. She moved on to become the vice-president of technology strategy at the energy major, working with a $1.3 billion research and development (R&D) budget to find, fund, and mature innovative new energy technologies.
Following three years as Shell’s head of commercial power and senior deal lead, Jacqueline was appointed as chief risk officer at the then-UK Government-owned Green Investment Bank. She continued to develop sustainable energy projects across the world with Macquarie, following its acquisition of the Green Investment Bank, where, until April 2019, she helped identify disruptive emerging technologies in the energy sector.
In addition to her role at CENSIS, Jacqueline is currently a non-executive director for the SQN Asset Finance Income Fund and an advisory board member of the University of Cambridge’s Energy Policy Research Group.
Jacqueline Redmond said: “I have a passion for developing technology and using it to improve people’s lives. Throughout my career, I have worked with small businesses to find exciting new innovations, bringing together people from a variety of disciplines to mature the technology and help the companies scale.
“The Innovation Centre programme is a great initiative from the Scottish Government, which can establish a skill base for Scotland and place us at the forefront of technology – they are working on real-life challenges and giving academic research a business focus. CENSIS has an important role to play in filling the void between academic research and commercialisation – helping companies to grow, attract finance, and open new markets. I am really excited to lead the CENSIS board at this time when it is helping reassert Scotland’s place on the global innovation landscape.”
Paul Winstanley, chief executive of CENSIS, added: “Jacqueline has an incredible background, working with some of the largest names in the energy industry. She also has a track record of working with small companies, helping them to develop new technologies and work with different stakeholders. Her experience will undoubtedly prove highly useful to the many businesses we work with in Scotland and beyond, looking to develop new products, processes, and services for a variety of markets.”
