Rupert Baines joins CSA Catapult board
Tech entrepreneur Rupert Baines has been appointed a non-executive director at the UK's Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult.
In this role, he will work with members of the board to support the corporate governance of the Catapult and to inform its long-term strategy.
A well-respected figure in the UK semiconductor industry, Baines brings with him a wealth of experience in entrepreneurship and tech start-ups. He has founded several technology companies with three successful exits. He was CEO of UltraSoc, which was sold to Siemens in July 2020, CMO of Codasip, and CEO of QPT.
He is currently chair of RANsemi, chair of Cambridge Tech Week and co-chair of the Semiconductor Expert Working Group industry body reporting into the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.
Baines is passionate about supporting the next generation of tech entrepreneurs and currently serves as a Mentor with Silicon Catalyst's ChipStart program. He is also a Fellow at DeepTech Labs, and Trustee of the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), which conducts several initiatives to encourage and support young people to study electronic engineering.
Speaking of his appointment, Baines said: “I am extremely excited to be joining CSA Catapult’s Board and look forward to supporting the Catapult’s vision of helping the UK become a global leader in compound semiconductors.
“I worked with compound semiconductors, specifically silicon germanium, early on in my career at Analog Devices and caught a first glimpse of how effective and powerful they can be.
“Since then, the compound semiconductor industry has grown rapidly, and the UK has developed significant strength in this area. We have a rare combination of great research and manufacturing capability with clusters around the country doing some very exciting things.”
Jonathan Flint, chair of the Board at CSA Catapult said: “Rupert is an experienced and well-respected member of the UK semiconductor ecosystem who brings with him a wealth of experience from industry and business scale-up.
“We’re delighted that Rupert has joined the Board and will value his expertise as we continue to support our growing industry and increase its contribution to the UK economy.”
Raj Gawera, Interim CEO of CSA Catapult said: “The global semiconductor landscape is evolving fast. We face a challenging mix of transformative technologies such as AI coupled with geopolitical uncertainty. Navigating the best path for both CSA Catapult and for the wider UK semiconductor sector requires both strong experience and seasoned judgement. I’m very pleased Rupert is joining the board to strengthen the capability and help set the right direction.”
