Following a scientific training and six years working in the hospital laboratory service, Alan Barrell has spent almost thirty years in senior executive positions in technology based industries. He worked around the world with Baxter Healthcare, the world's largest Health technology company and was Chief Executive of Baxter UK for six years. Subsequently he switched industries and joined a very small Cambridge Phenomenon company in industrial electronics, Domino Printing Sciences, as Managing Director. Alan stayed six years, during which time Domino grew internationally and was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Today Domino has revenues of £300 million plus a market capitalisation approaching £400 million.
Alan's last full time Chief Executive position was six years with Willett International, a manufacturing and marketing company in industrial electronics which now has businesses in 100 countries, 26 overseas subsidiaries and sales of close to £100 million. From early 1998 until 2002 Alan's business life was spread between non-executive chairmanship of smaller technology companies, engagement with N W Brown Capital Partners in raising a new regional early stage technology venture capital fund of £35 million, “The Cambridge Gateway Fund” and work with charities in which he has special interests. These include the Papworth Trust, The Royal Society of Arts Manufactures and Commerce (where he has been treasurer and member of the Trustee Board) and The Centre For Tomorrow's Company of which he was Vice Chairman. During 2001 and 2002 he was Chair of the Steering Committee of the Cambridge International Enterprise Conference now held annually.
From the beginning of 2000 until April 2002 Alan worked full-time as Director and Managing Partner of N W Brown Capital Partners Ltd, raising and investing the Cambridge Gateway Fund. He has also become closely associated with Three Business Angel Groups in Cambridge .The Cambridge Gateway Fund was recently week voted “Investor of the Year” in the Cambridge Evening News Business Excellence Awards 2002.
Alan’s most recent appointments have been as Entrepreneur in Residence, University of Cambridge Entrepreneurship Centre, and Visiting Professor of Enterprise, University of Luton School of Graduate Business Studies, Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, and Senior Enterprise Fellow, University of Essex.. He has also been appointed Chairman Health Enterprise East and Chairman Medilink East. He is Chairman of the biotech company Advanced Protein Systems Ltd., and of E-Financial Management Ltd. Also, a member of the External Advisory Board, University of East Anglia in Norwich.
In July 2005, Alan was presented by the Queen with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion – one of the first ten individuals awarded this new honour.
On September 7th, Alan Barrell was conferred the Honorary Degree – Doctor of Business Administration ( DBA ) by the University of Luton ( Now re-named Bedfordshire ), in recognition of his work in the UK and Internationally of the encouragement and development of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in others.
In April 2006, Alan, with colleagues, founded Dragon Cambridge International Ltd., a company set up to assist companies and other organisations in UK, Europe and in China, connect with each other for good business reasons and to support Chinese businesses starting up in Europe.
Most recently, working in the Baltic Rim countries, assisting the establishment of Business Angel Organisations and Early Stage Venture Capital Funds. Associations in Estonia and Latvia.