Ross Ward Email & Phone Number

Bridgwater, Gb

Leeds, England, United Kingdom

- Increased company revenue by 250% (£1M to £3.5M), establishing NIRI as a global leader in nonwoven innovation and product development.- Spearheaded a robust brand strategy, leveraging differentiation and premium pricing to increase revenue and profit margin.- Led the development and execution of thought leadership marketing campaigns.- Rebranded the retainer business model (NIRI Accelerator) to drive recurring revenue and client retention, outperforming standard fee-for-service approaches with annual contracts and enhanced customer loyalty.- Expanded NIRI’s service offering to include market & application development, contributing to over 40% of total revenue.- Recruited and developed a high-performing team of marketing and business development professionals in key markets (Europe, US, and Brazil).- Represented NIRI at international conferences, building the company’s profile with corporations, universities, governments, and NGOs, driving engagement and growth.

Leeds, United Kingdom

- I achieved over 70% of annual consultancy turnover through targeted sales strategies and account management.- Secured £1.8M in grant funding for new technology development projects, broadening NIRI’s technological capabilities and market reach.- Increased proposal win rate to over 60% by shifting from traditional proposals to a story-driven slide deck format, empowering customers to advocate for NIRI internally.- Secured investment and led the design for the Advanced Processing Laboratory, enabling significant prototyping advancements and contributing to £3M in revenue over four years. - Implemented a CRM system to manage the sales pipeline and provide actionable marketing insights, ensuring a customer-centric approach to business development.

Leeds, United Kingdom

- I managed the delivery of over 100 consultancy and grant-funded projects, driving NIRI’s operational success.- Led a team of 20 world-class materials scientists and engineers, nuturing a collaborative and innovative culture focused on delivering customer value.- I introduced Agile Project Management principles, improving efficiency and project outcomes across NIRI’s portfolio.

Leeds, United Kingdom

- Led consortium projects from feasibility to commercialisation, delivering innovative technical solutions for healthcare and defence sectors.

Leeds, United Kingdom

- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Industrial CASE (iCASE) Scholarship.- Thesis: Keratin adsorbent materials for chemical protective clothing.

Belfast, United Kingdom

- Founded company in 2015, specialising in personal protective equipment research and development, providing bespoke objective and subjective thermo-physiological testing of clothing systems for product development and validation. - Provision of consultancy expertise to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), field testing and validating overt body protection and Public order uniforms (Orange Order Parades and G8 Summit, Belfast).

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Materials Engineering

- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Industrial CASE (iCASE).

Master Of Science (Msc), Advanced Textiles & Performance Clothing

Activities and Societies: Tennis - LTA University Tennis Coordinator. Club Colours.Dissertation: Fluorochemical-free hydrophobic.

Bsc (Hons) Sports Technology, Iet Accredited. School Of Mechanical, Electrical And Manufacturing Engineering., 2:1

Activities and Societies: Internship and final dissertation sponsored by adidas and focused on developing next generation footballs.