New man in charge at the Engine Shed

Mike Paton

Mike Paton has been appointed by Engine Shed, the enterprise and innovation hub owned by the University of Bristol, as its new director.

Paton comes with extensive knowledge of Engine Shed as its general manager since 2021, overseeing operations and finance.

He is also the programme manager for the Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre (QTIC), the University of Bristol’s quantum innovation hub, launched in 2017 with a £35m investment by local government.

Prior to Engine Shed and QTIC, Paton worked at Rolls-Royce in roles including materials engineering, service innovation and programme management, based in the UK, Singapore and Germany.

He takes over from Marty Reid who has joined the SETsquared Partnership as its interim executive director.

Mustafa Rampuri, director of enterprise services at the University of Bristol, said: “Mike’s experience in industry and academia, along with his commitment to diversity and inclusion and sustainability, ideally places him to lead Engine Shed, which is a beacon for the University’s innovation and civic engagement work.

Paton said: “I have loved my time as general manager at Engine Shed, working with so many fantastic colleagues, residents, partners and startups.

“Engine Shed is celebrating its tenth anniversary this December and it’s incredible to see what’s been achieved in that time. I’m excited to be at its helm as we define the next chapter and develop a number of new initiatives to enhance membership and innovation services, including skills and training for businesses and academia.”

Engine Shed creates income from work and event space hire to seed projects and partnerships to drive innovation activity for the region. It works with multiple partners and welcomes more than 30,000 visitors a year to its Brunel listed building by Temple Meads station.

 

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