Scott James O'Brien in

Scott James O'Brien

Commander · DISC type D
Advisory Board Member, Enterprising Women at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge
📍 Lewes, England, United Kingdom

Scott is the Chief Investment Officer at Innovate UK, where he manages a £450m+ portfolio blending public and private capital to finance high-growth SMEs. His expertise lies at the intersection of policy, capital markets, and R&D funding, with a focus on supporting founders in frontier technology.

Outside of his primary role, Scott serves as a Governor and Audit Chair for Plumpton College, reflecting an interest in developing skills for green technologies and rural industries. He is also passionate about supporting women-led investment teams, serving on several advisory boards to back their initiatives.

He directs loan and grant programs that have successfully leveraged over £1. 5 billion in private capital for innovative UK businesses.

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Experience
26 Years
Current Role
Advisory Board Member, Enterprising Women
Job Level
Leadership
Location
Lewes, England, United Kingdom
Personality Overview

How Scott shows up

Very Quick
Candid & Clear
Decisive

They are not always relationship oriented. They respond better to strong and respectful interactions. They like to move fast and expect the same from others.

Priorities

Topics Scott cares about

Financing Innovation
Leads Innovate UK's strategy for its £450m+ portfolio, designing investment models that blend public and private capital to support high-risk, high-growth SMEs.
SME Growth
Focuses on unlocking finance for R&D-intensive SMEs, helping them navigate critical growth stages from later-stage R&D through to commercialisation.
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Career

Work history

4-2025
Advisory Board Member, Enterprising Women
Murray Edwards College, Cambridge
11-2022
Governor & Audit Chair
Plumpton College
3-2022
Chief Investment Officer
Innovate UK
7-2021 - 6-2025
Non-Executive Director
Buyerdock
5-2020 - 3-2022
Deputy Director (Credit)
Innovate UK
In the press

Media appearances

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Education
Education details unavailable
Emanuel School
Education details unavailable
St Mary’s University, Twickenham
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

D

Dominance (D)

Dominance (D) reflects how goal and task oriented a person is, and their ability to accomplish results irrespective of how demanding the circumstances might be. Those scoring high tend to be motivated by winning, competition, and success.

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