Programme Speakers
Mike Bowes
After graduating from the University of Leeds with a PhD and BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry, Mike Bowes began his career with a post-doctoral research fellowship at that University.
In 1985 he left to join a medical device start-up business, Neoligaments Limited, as Plant Manager, with 2 part-time staff, a secretary and some initial stocking orders. When he left the business in 1991, the turnover was around £3m, and employed 50 people, organised into several departments.
He joined Visionware Limited, a software development start-up, as General Manager in 1991 and was appointed Managing Director in 1993. After the company was sold to SCO Inc. in 1994, at which time it was turning over £8m, Mike became involved in a project at the University of Manchester to raise funding for a potential company developing inspection equipment for the electronics industry. This project became a reality and Mike was both Founder and Managing Director of Kestra Limited until the company was finally sold to CyberOptics Inc. for $11.5m. Mike then became a Board Director of CyberOptics and remained in post until May 2002. He had joined Shopcreator as COO to oversee a planned flotation. Because of adverse market conditions, the flotation was postponed and Mike left to pursue non-executive positions on a full-time basis.
Mike currently holds several part-time and non-executive positions with various start-up companies in the North of England.
