Rowena Burns is to step down from her roles as chair of Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) and non-executive director at Bruntwood.
Burns joined Bruntwood as chief operating officer in 2006 and from 2013 was instrumental in the rebirth of MSP – the strategic public, private, academic, clinical partnership organisation focussed on driving the growth of Manchester’s knowledge economy.
As chief executive and latterly as chair of MSP, she led its growth and expansion and the establishment of the Citylabs campus in partnership with the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
She also chaired Cityco, establishing the Oxford Road Corridor Enterprise Zone and CityVerve, the UK’s only IoT smart city demonstrator.
Burns was also a founding partner in Health Innovation Manchester and will continue in her role as chair.
Chris Oglesby, CEO of Bruntwood and executive chair at Bruntwood SciTech, will reassume his former role as chair, Manchester Science Partnerships.
He said: “When Rowena joined Bruntwood it was with the ultimate aim that she would stay for three years before taking up non exec roles in the NHS. While she’s done the latter, we also managed to keep her for much longer! This speaks to the profound impact she has had on both me, our businesses and Manchester.
“In assuming her role at Manchester Science Partnerships, she grasped the opportunity with both hands and built the foundations of what it has become today.”
