John Mills Email & Phone Number

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, GB

Heliochrome exploit novel light emitting perovskites in Optoelectronic devices such as displays and lighting

Cambridge, GB

• In 2012 Inca was a single product company, selling into a single market through a single distributor into a mature market. Sales stagnation and eroding margins with no clear strategy caused the Board to seek a new CEO..
• Delivered 5 years of consistent growth in revenue and profit whilst increasing investment in R&D
• Energised management team to develop and buy into 5 year vision
• implemented lean manufacturing to improve manufacturing efficiency by over 60% allowing growth to be achieve in same factory footprint
• After extensive market/customer research (which included visiting over 200 customers globally) I implemented a programme of product changes that reversed the decline and grew sales by 25%
• Re-energised global distribution partners in North America and Europe and established new distribution in South east Asia and China

Widnes, Cheshire, GB

• BASF who were investors in my previous company (Plastic Logic) asked me to undertake a turnaround at DataLase who were only weeks from administration when I joined. Key achievements:
• Established emergency funding though re-capitalisation working with existing VC investors. This was a particularly difficult to execute in the middle of the global financial crisis
• Re-structured the company and implemented a growth plan to get core business to breakeven within 2 years, increasing revenues by 50% to £1.8Mn
• Identified opportunity to grow technology in the new market sector and raised VC finance to develop technology (this technology was the reason for acquisition by Sato in 2016)
• Led key account sales to major FMCG companies (P&G, Unilever, Coca-Cola etc..) as they adopted DataLase technology
• Negotiated Global licenses with number of ink companies including Sun Chemical and Flint Inks

• Plastic Logic spun off from Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory in 2000 and created the Flexible Electronics industry putting the UK as one of the leading pioneers in the field. Key achievements:
• Completed second round funding of over US$ 100 million
• Led global search and established first factory and cleanroom in Dresden, Germany, securing Euro 45Mn of EU and local state financial support.
• Established 20,000m2 Flexible Display Fab from green field site to operation in 16 months managing procurement of $100mn capital equipment, design and build of a 10,000m2 class 100 clean room and recruiting and.
• Oversaw successful transfer of technology from Cambridge to Dresden

• Key achievements:
• Built world class development team to transfer technology from lab scale in Cavendish Labs
• Developed revolutionary manufacturing process for flexible electronics and produced the largest high resolution flexible inkjet printed display
• Worked with 3rd part equipment manufacturers to develop bespoke equipment for Fab
• Worked as part of Government team led by Lord Broers to establish Printed Electronic centre

• Key achievements:
• Design Authority for all Domino product range leading a team of 120 engineers including software, electronics, mechanical design, Physicists and Ink Development
• Was part of the management team that undertook the acquisition of Graphtec
• Moved to Chicago to manage both US branch and UK development teams to deliver the Bitjet212 which at the time was the fastest in-line inkjet coding system having
• As part of senior management team grew Commercial Print Division from £8Mn to £32Mn in 3 years