Alison Campbell has stepped down as chief executive officer of the UK Government Office of director of Knowledge Transfer Ireland.
She was also the chair of the group of LPs in UKI2S, a government-backed seed fund managed by Future Planet Capital.
GOTT handles knowledge exchange across government departments such as the Treasury and arms-length bodies such as the Met Office, Kew Gardens, and the National Physical Laboratory.
In a LinkedIn post announcing her decision to step down, Campbell highlighted the office’s uniqueness within the civil service. She also noted that she felt privileged having led a team that “built the plane as we flew it”.
Among Campbell’s achievements at GOTT are the deployment of a proof of concept fund, the creation of an accelerator programme, and the publication of national guidance.
Campbell’s career in tech transfer spans more than three decades. During her time with King’s College London – where she was director of innovation and managing director of King’s College London Business from March 2004 to January 2012 – she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her contribution to knowledge transfer.
She is also a co-founder of ATTP, the international alliance that awards RTTP certification. Additionally, she is a past AUTM chair and contributed to work by the European Commission to harmonise knowledge transfer metrics.
Campbell did not reveal what she intends to do next, hinting only that she was not retiring.
