UWTSD appoints an Executive Director of Commercialisation

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has announced that it has appointed Gary Clifford as Executive Director of Commercialisation.

Gary is a director of a high growth digital enterprise. His company is currently supporting a large police force and local authority in the North of England to use the latest Virtual Reality (VR) techniques to radically transform hate crime training for all frontline / neighbourhood officers.

As a management consultant Gary has also worked as an expert consultant on several international projects assisting companies to realise their growth potential, particularly in international markets.  Such projects include working with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to appraise, monitor, and evaluate its investments in the Education, Health, and Digital Infrastructure Sector globally. 

He has worked with the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to support European-based SMEs to improve their capabilities, knowledge, and capacity to bid and win public procurement opportunities international in such sectors as Green Economy, Smart Health; ICT, and Smart Cities in Japan, Norway, Serbia, Chile, Colombia and Vietnam. He has also supported the former Government of Afghanistan (funded by the World Bank) to professionalise their national procurement activities.

A former member of staff of the University, Gary spent 9 years at Bangor University as Director of Impact & Engagement and as Deputy Dean of its Law School. He was also Director of Institute for Competition & Procurement Studies (ICPS) at Bangor where he successfully led several major international research projects.

Gary Clifford said on his appointment: “I’m delighted to return to the University after so many years to develop and support the University’s commercial and enterprise agendas. Universities are full of talented people whose creativity and innovation can make a real difference to society – both in the UK and internationally. I’m pleased to be given the opportunity to lend my expertise to assist in exploiting that potential and to ensure that these ideas as exploited commercially”.

Professor Medwin Hughes, DL, Vice-Chancellor said: “I’m pleased to welcome Gary Clifford to the University as Executive Director of Commercialisation. Gary will provide strategic leadership as the University looks to develop our income generation activity further. This is an important appointment which will enable the University to maximise the potential of our innovation, research and enterprise activities in line with our Research Wales Innovation Strategy and Strategic Plan.” 

(Lead image: UWTSD)