Staff Profile – Meet Cyclist, Scientist, and CEO Neil Loxley
Neil Loxley
(CEO – IBEX Innovations)
IBEX’s CEO, Neil Loxley, has a pretty impressive background in both the world of business and the world of science. His role at IBEX involves focusing on the ‘big picture’ and the overall direction of the company. Given the major advances IBEX has been making in the medical imaging industry and the exciting direction the company is heading, Neil definitely must be doing something right!
To find out a bit more about Neil, his life, and his interests, I asked him a few questions:
A quick summary of what you do at IBEX?
As CEO I take overall executive responsibility for strategic planning, funding, operations, and finance and work closely with Paul and others on technology, product, and market development. It’s a big job, but I am fortunate in having an amazing team at IBEX working alongside me to help.
How did you find yourself at IBEX?
In a previous life I was CEO of X-ray metrology company Bede plc where Gary Gibson (the founder of IBEX) worked as account manager for a major semiconductor company. We kept in touch after we both left Bede and in 2011 Gary asked me to help prepare the business strategy and secure funding for his new start-up. After working for a while as a non-executive director, I became CEO in 2013, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Professional background, life outside of work, and some key interests?
I have a PhD in Physics from Durham University, focused on X-ray metrology of semiconductors. I then ended up running my PhD supervisor’s technology business (Bede plc – see above) and floating it on the London Stock Exchange before leaving in 2006 to take on a number of Chairman and non-executive director roles. Outside work I am a keen road cyclist and enjoy reading modern science fiction and keeping my brain engaged with crosswords and other puzzles. Normally I love going to the cinema, opera, theatre, art galleries and traveling with my family, but of course, that has all been on hold for the last year.
What are some of your future goals and aspirations?
The immediate focus is to make IBEX the success it deserves to be, then I plan to go back to helping other start-ups in non-executive and Chairman roles. With my children all now grown up, Elena and I aim to spend a few years working our way through our travel bucket list before grandchildren arrive.
A moment in life that you’ll never forget?
Aside of course from the birth of my children and my recent marriage, it would have to be having breakfast at No.10 with then PM Tony Blair and a small group of leading industrialists. As CEO of a tiny Durham-based start-up, walking through the front door of No.10 and introducing myself to a room full of strangers which included the CEOs of Tesco, BT, Rolls Royce, and others was a moment that will probably never be repeated. Breakfast was pretty good too!
Your go-to productivity trick?
Like many others, I find deadlines are an essential productivity tool! As CEO it is important to empower and trust our talented employees to do their job, so I try where possible to focus on the bigger picture and not get stuck in micromanagement.
What’s surprised you about working at IBEX?
That there are so many people in the world who are so much smarter than me! I am constantly amazed by the ability of the team to turn crazy, challenging ideas into reality. Also, why do we employ so many left-handed people?
There you have it, an insight into the life of our CEO, Neil Loxley!
