Rhian Hayward MBE Chief Executive Officer, Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus (AberInnovation)

AberInnovation houses state-of-the-art laboratories and processing spaces. It aims to encourage research collaborations between businesses, entrepreneurs and academics in:

• food and drink
• biorefining
• nutrition and
• agri-tech

Rhian is originally from Swansea. She has worked in a variety of start-up and spin out companies in the life science sector in the UK. She has held marketing, business development and technical roles. Rhian’s interest is in the world of biotech. Particularly in the challenges and rewards of commercialisation of early stage technologies.

In recent years Rhian has held public appointments, including:

• membership of the Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board, and
• the Life Sciences Bridging Fund Advisory Board for Welsh Government

Rhian's academic qualifications include:

• BSc (first class) Biology, King's College London
• DPhil Parasitology, University of Oxford

Rhian received an MBE for services to Entrepreneurship in Wales in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2016.