Board
The Earlham Enterprises Board is chaired by Professor Neil Hall. There are currently four non-executive Company Directors. Their collective experiences include scientific research, operational delivery, strategic planning, project management, risk planning, funding and finance, and company law.
Prof Neil Hall
Professor Neil Hall is the Director of Earlham Institute and has been working in genomics for over 15 years. He has previously led research groups at the Sanger Institute, The Institute for Genomic Research, and The University of Liverpool. His research focuses on comparative and evolutionary genomics in pathogens (particularly parasitic protists) to understand the molecular basis of important phenotypes such as virulence and host specificity. His group also apply genomics to the analysis of microbial communities in order to understand how they may influence health or respond to changing environments. Neil serves on the Wellcome Trust Biomedical Resources Committee and the BBSRC Exploring New Ways of Working Strategy Panel.
Sarah Cossey
Sarah Cossey is the Director of Operations at Earlham Institute. Sarah is a professional accountant and project manager with extensive experience across the public and private sector. Sarah spent nine years in finance and audit within local government and the NHS. She then moved to the Cabinet Office as part of the Senior Management Team of the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) in 1998 to lead the finance and business support team. Sarah has been at EI since 2011, taking up her current position in 2014. She is a member of the EI Executive Team, and has responsibility for the service delivery operations at EI, including the genomics laboratories, scientific training, public engagement, knowledge exchange and industrial engagement and oversight of corporate services delivery.
Dr Stephanie Pilkington
Stephanie Pilkington is a highly-regarded and experienced patent attorney at the IP law firm Potter Clarkson, with a particular specialism in molecular biology. She was also the first female Board member at the firm. In her career as a biotech patent attorney, Stephanie has worked with many start-ups and university spinouts, as well as established international corporations. She has extensive experience in advising SMEs and academic technology transfer departments and brings valuable experience of working within the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation environment. Prior to her legal career, Stephanie completed a PhD in Molecular Biology at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. During her time as a Research Biochemist, she gained first-hand industry experience working for Fisons Pharmaceuticals, then Astra AB.