Profile

Until September 2017, Roy was Director of the £40m National Innovation Centre for Ageing at Newcastle University. He remains engaged with the University as Professor of Practice in Ageing Science and Innovation.

In addition, he led the development of the regional innovation strategy for North East England. He was the founding chair of the North East Learning and Enterprise Partnership Innovation Board.

Roy spent 31 years with the Procter and Gamble company holding global research and development positions in the UK, Europe and Asia. He led innovation programmes across the world. He has several applied patents. One of his inventions is a $150m business in the US.

Nationally, Roy is president of the Royal Society of Chemistry Industry Council. He chairs the National Smart Specialisation Hub and sits on the BEIS Advisory Board for Science and Innovation Audits.

He holds visiting Professor positions with both Newcastle and Northumbria University Business Schools, Cranfield University and Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design, London. He chairs Northern Accelerator, the research commercialisation programme across the four NE Universities.

Roy sits on the regional committee of The Prince’s Trust and is a trustee at the Centre for Life, the leading public science centre in Newcastle. Roy is an Operations Board member for the Great Exhibition of the North 2018. He chairs the Data and Insights Board at Tees and Wear Reform Prisons.

In education, he has been a board member at the national awarding body, NCFE. He is a governor at Seaton Burn College and North East Futures UTC. He is currently a governor at The Beacon School in Sunderland.

Roy was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2017 for services to science, innovation and skills.