Steering Group - Sporting Chance Initiative
Dr John Rogers, Director of Research and Enterprise, University of Stirling
John is Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Stirling. He has responsibility for an integrated portfolio covering strategy and policy, business development, pre- and post-award contract support, operations and systems, and graduate research. John has a strong interest in economic, social and community development and sits on the Boards of Stirling Enterprise Park (STEP) and Stirling University Innovation Park (SUIP). He is Managing Director of Stirling University Research and Enterprise (SURE Ltd), a Council Member of the Scottish Association of Marine Sciences (SAMS), and Chair of the Stirling Community Planning Economic Partnership.
Prior to joining Stirling in 2006, John worked at the University of Manchester, where he was Head of the Research Office and previously had responsibility for student recruitment and admissions, international recruitment and relations, public relations and research and graduate support. John was the manager of the national 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, working on behalf of the four UK higher education funding bodies, based at the Higher Education Funding Council for England in Bristol and London. His earlier career was spent at the University of Aberdeen, in strategic planning, faculty management and student administration roles. John has worked extensively on higher education management and development projects, and is a regular conference and workshop presenter in the UK and overseas on research policy and management, and wider higher education issues.
Lynn Blaikie, Business Development Manager, Stirling University Innovation Park Ltd
Lynn Blaikie is a marketing professional possessing excellent business leadership skills gained with major companies in Scotland’s electronics industry and in running her own highly successful company.
Her first marketing appointment was with Sun Microsystems’ where she also gained management experience. Her career advanced with her appointment as Marketing Manger of Spektra Systems, a position she held for three years.
Lynn's entrepreneurial spirit then drove her to establish her own company Matrix Marketing and Events servicing a portfolio of high calibre clients included Scottish Enterprise, ScotlandIS, MX Alliance, STAC Project and Stirling University Innovation Park.
Lynn was appointed the Innovation Park’s Business Development Manager in 2007. She was responsible for developing a new strategy focusing on attracting tenant companies operating at the cutting edge of advancement within sports related technologies; people centred healthcare and environmental technologies, sciences and heritage.
Her outstanding business leadership qualities have also been recognised by her appointment to the Stirling Business Executive Panel.
Sara McDermid, Head of the Business Development Team, University of Stirling
Sara joined the Research & Enterprise Office at the University of Stirling in January 2007 and was promoted to Head of the Business Development Team in June 2008.
Previously, she was Head of Marketing, Scotland for a London-based marketing and design consultancy, a research administrator for the University of Stirling’s Department of Nursing & Midwifery, and before that spent 12 years with a global bank.
She is a qualified marketer and a member of The Chartered Institute of Marketing.