We’re delighted to reveal that Plexal has appointed Andrew Roughan, former COO of Here East, to be our new managing director.
Here from the start: launching Here East
An experienced business leader, Andrew was the commercial director for data centre business Infinity SDC and general manager for telecoms company Cable & Wireless before joining Here East – which he launched together with its CEO Gavin Poole. While attending the London 2012 Olympic Games, the duo had a bold vision for a diverse tech cluster for east London after the games wrapped up – a place where corporates, startups, scaleups, academics and creatives could come together. Andrew and Gavin have been behind the development of Here East since, and have helped shape the launch of Plexal as Here East’s innovation nerve centre.
Under Andrew’s stewardship, the Here East campus has brought over 3,500 jobs to the Stratford area and attracted academic institutions such as Loughborough University London and UCL, fast-growth businesses like MATCHESFASHION.com and global companies such as BT Sport and Ford’s Smart Mobility Innovation Office. As Paul Goswell, managing director of Delancey (which funds both Plexal and Here East) says, the campus’ development has been a “great British success story of urban regeneration”.
What’s next for Plexal
As our new managing director, Andrew will oversee our next stage of growth, helping our members with their scaling ambitions and facilitating the progress of LORCA: a government-backed cybersecurity programme being delivered out of Plexal aimed at scaling the solutions industry needs most. Since we launched LORCA in June this year and welcomed our first cohort, Plexal has become a cybersecurity hub that’s bringing together industry, academia and the brightest cyber innovators.
The next focus for our in-house innovation team is mobility, and Andrew is excited to be working with them on collaborating with the public sector, funders, charities, academia, and businesses of all sizes to imagine and co-create tomorrow’s transportation solutions.
Commenting on his newest job, Andrew said: “Plexal has become one of the most important innovation centres in London, supporting a diverse range of large, small and startup companies across a number of high-potential sectors and technology products. I look forward to working with our members, and the wider Here East campus, in collaborating to cause progress on an international scale.”
Welcome Andrew, and watch this space for lots more exciting news to come.
