David Hughes, Managing Director of the Business Innovation Group, has held senior management positions with several leading multinational companies where he developed new ideas for creating customer value through innovation. He has extensive experience in implementing the resulting new product strategies.
Following a 30-year career in industry David then went on to take up the post of Director General, at Innovation Group and Chief Scientific Advisor at the DTI. He was the first director general of the DTI’s Innovation Group and its chief scientific adviser until 2006. He was responsible for producing the DTI Innovation Report, published in December 2003, which led to the foundation of the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK).
Prior to this appointment, twenty years of executive-level management experience with major global businesses – Ford, Lucas, GEC-Marconi, and BAEsystems. Experienced manager of multi-national project teams and change leader and an approved Cabinet Office project assurance reviewer. David is a Board member of the R&D Society.
David Hughes is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and holds an MSc in Engineering and an Honorary Doctor of Technology, Loughborough University. He is a Chartered Director (IoD) and currently works with three management consultancies advising companies on innovation strategy. This has included product development projects in large companies through to working with SMEs on manufacturing strategy and business plan development. David has also worked on strategic development projects with City and Brunel Universities and chaired advisory Boards at City and Nottingham Universities.
David Now advises CEOs on the best innovation strategies for growth. In addition to running his own consultancy business, David is now visiting Professor of Engineering Management at City University, London.