Stuart McKay
Mechanical Engineering PhD from the University of Strathclyde, with subsequent roles of Research Fellow and latterly Imaging Research Group Leader within the Department. His engineering background is augmented by more recent business management experience as the founder and CEO of an equity backed technology business selling into the Oil and Gas, Medical Imaging and Defence markets. This latter role exposed Stuart to the full range of innovation and support products available in Scotland and the UK. As a former business owner with first hand experience of a wide variety of business support products including SMART, SCIS, RSA and SEEKIT programmes through to Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme and account management services from Scottish Enterprise, Stuart is not only well placed to understand the issues facing management teams but is well able to advise on KTP's positioning within the wider innovation support framework.
Since joining the West of Scotland KTP Centre, Stuart has assisted partners to develop projects with a wide range of companies, from established household names such as Hoover and Scottish and Southern Energy to micro-companies with emerging technology offerings. In his own words:
"The variety and scope of KTP project activity attracted me to join the West of Scotland KTP Centre - no two days are the same, one day I could be in Aberdeen talking to a Housing Association about zero-carbon housing (a KTP that is currently running with Architects at Glasgow School of Art) and the next day I could be working with a Charity in Glasgow to assist them access knowledge and technology in support of their marketing and communications (a KTP with the Centre for Creative Studies at Glasgow Caledonian University)." Whilst Not for Profit organisations and Charities do form part of Stuart's project portfolio, the majority of his work is still with commercially focused businesses. Again, the variety of companies engaged with KTP is enormous, and Stuart has worked to secure projects with companies ranging from suppliers of small micro spacecraft systems (ClydeSpace) to boatyards (Silvers Marine), insurance companies (Kwik-Fit) and structural steelwork fabricators (BHC Ltd).