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Fergus Harradence will be discussing the public sector’s perspective on venture capital; the forms of support that the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills offer to high-tech, high growth businesses; and the wider rationale for innovation policy and why such policies exist at national and EU level.
Biography
Fergus Harradence went to school in Sheffield, then attended Cambridge University, where he read history. He worked as a political researcher for the BBC and as a parliamentary lobbyist before joining the Confederation of British Industry as a Senior Policy Advisor on Land Use Planning.
He joined the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in January 2000, working on skills development and labour market analysis. He then became Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary for 18 months, before undertaking a 9 month secondment to the private sector with Ericsson, where he worked on corporate planning.
In 2003 he joined UK Trade & Investment as Head of the Gulf Unit, where he was responsible for helping British firms trade and invest in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq. Subsequent postings in UKTI included International Trade Director for London and as Head of the Asia Task Force Secretariat, where he had responsibility for developing UKTI’s response to globalisation and the growth of India and China.
In May 2006 he returned to DTI as Head of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations Unit, where he had responsibility for co-ordinating UK Government policy on the Doha Round of Trade negotiations, and was the policy lead within the Department on the agriculture and environment dossiers.
In December 2007 he transferred to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to become Deputy Director for Innovation Policy, covering all aspects of domestic innovation policy in the UK, including strategy and communications, sponsorship of the Technology Strategy Board, working with the Regional Development Agencies on innovation at regional level, and fiscal and investment policies that impact on investment in innovation.
The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception from 19:00
If you would like to attend the event, please register online or email icbs.events@imperial.ac.uk.