Ian is a highly respected former public servant and businessman with extensive business and public sector experience. Ian began his career as the Member of Parliament for West Dudley in 1994, rising through the ranks where between 2001 to 2010, Ian was a Minister in the UK Government in a variety of roles. During an extensive Ministerial career, Ian had responsibility for economic and financial issues, procurement policy, leading international trade missions, science and research funding, water and environmental policy and climate change, as well as Board level interaction across key sectors of the UK economy including banking, insurance, energy and renewables, automotive and engineering. Ian held the following ministerial roles; Government Whip, Minister in Northern Ireland, Minister for Trade, Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Science and Innovation Minister and Economic Secretary to the Treasury.As Economic Secretary to the Treasury until May 2010, Ian was at the heart of the UK’s response to the global financial crisis. He was heavily involved in the 2009 Banking Act and the 2010 Financial Services Act, as well as being responsible for growth, enterprise and productivity issues, including small business taxation and better regulation; competition, science, innovation policy; the EU Budget, where he led negotiations for the UK; Public/Private Partnerships including Private Finance Initiative, and Partnerships UK; Infrastructure UK, procurement policy issues, and the work of the Government Actuaries Department and Valuation Office Agency.Ian Pearson is now an experienced company chairman, non-executive director and adviser with a proven strategic orientation and a clear focus on achieving results and value for clients. Ian is chairman of Quantum Exponential, the first-of-its-kind AQSE Growth Market enterprise company focused on opportunities in quantum technology and the wider quantum computing sector. Ian is also the Chairman of Eqtec plc, a gasification technology solutions company for waste-to-energy projects. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Thames Water, the UK’s biggest water company. Ian’s previous experience includes being a Senior Adviser to BAI Communications plc for five years, a Director at IPP Associates Ltd for 13 years, as well as serving on PwC’s Advisory Board for five years.