Newcastle University

The cream of the business community gathered for one of the most anticipated and glittering events in the North East business calendar – the David Goldman Annual Lecture 2008.

Higher numbers than ever before were present to witness the official handover of the prestigious David Goldman Visiting Professor of Business Innovation to one of the highest profile figures in the region’s engineering sector – Dr Tony Trapp.

Established by the Goldman family as part of an endowment designed to achieve a lasting legacy in honour of the late David Goldman, co-founder of the hugely successful SAGE technology business, it gives selected successful business leaders the chance to share their knowledge with a new generation of students and budding entrepreneurs.

The anticipation was palpable as Professor David Charles, the David Goldman Chair of Business Innovation,–  a permanent role also funded as part of the Goldman Endowment –, introduced the evening’s lecture, charting the success of Newcastle University Business School:

“We have increased numbers of academics and support staff to meet ever increasing numbers of students although we are always conscious of the implications of the recession,” said Professor Charles.

“Together with the work of the Knowledge, Innovation, Technology and Enterprise Centre (KITE) and collaboration between NESTA (North East Science and Technology Enterprise), Science City and the Entrepreneurs Forum there are lessons to learn. Be it looking at the motivation behind entrepreneurship in the region in order to raise the number of start- up businesses or looking internationally, building global networks to learn the lessons of transformative cities such as Beijing.”

Fresh from eleven months of self proclaimed ‘tortuous’ but successful negotiations which concluded with the successful sale of her business Specials Laboratory for £20m, the outgoing Visiting Professor of Business Innovation Fiona Cruickshank said she was convinced that Dr Trapp would be an ideal ambassador for business.

“My twelve months in the role has been great,” she asserted., “Iit has allowed me to pass on the business knowledge and experience I have gained over many years to the business professionals of tomorrow.".

“Tony and his company IHC Engineering Business is an amazing success story, attracting and retaining over 160 engineering graduates in the region. I’m sure he will find the role as rewarding as I have and the students will greatly benefit from his knowledge and enthusiasm.”

Dr Trapp was selected as the new visiting professor after a new, proactive and more visible approach to recruitment was adopted by Newcastle University Business School in partnership with The Journal newspaper.

“This year we were looking to really raise awareness of the David Goldman Visiting Professor,” said Kay Jones, Marketing and Development Director of Newcastle University Business School, “which is why we chose to partner with The Journal to help publicise the search. We wanted to inform the outside world, in particular Newcastle’s business community about the aims of the professorship.”

As a result the search for the next visiting professor maintained a highly visible editorial presence in The Journal throughout May, June, July, August and September culminating in Dr Trapp’s appointment.

Substantial elements of Dr Trapp’s hard hitting speech also gained coverage in The Journal the day after his lecture under the heading: ‘Time for North East to leave comfort zone’.

His assertion that entrepreneurs must demonstrate more ambition, belief and courage if the region is to fulfil its economic potential was well received by the assorted business leaders, opinion formers, politicians and representatives of the Goldman family present on the night.

“The North East is full of people who, if you could get them in the right environment, their capability would be overwhelming,” said Dr Trapp.

“The challenge is how you get the mindset into people to do something that they believe in.”

He called on people to get out of their comfort zone, acknowledging risk but citing numerous examples of the success available to those prepared to strive forward with Ambition, Belief and Courage - the ABC’s as he termed them.

After a period of being a lecturer at Edinburgh University he then experienced years of innovative commercial endeavour, winning the MacRobert Award, the UK’s highest engineering honour in 1994, but was subsequently forced out of the company he helped found SMD following a bruising board room debacle before launching his own company Engineering Business in 1997. A business he recently sold for £30m to its new Dutch parent IHC, rewarding 70 of his staff with payouts averaging £70,000 each. In honour of his achievement Dr Trapp has been awarded The Journal’s ‘North East Business Executive of the Year, 2008’.

Launch of the ABC Award

Dr Trapp chose the occasion to announce the creation of a new ABC Fund to support the work of students and graduates of Newcastle University. With an initial donation of £5,000, his visiting professorship fee, the fund will be given to the best candidate from this year’s Newcastle Enterprise Challenge which is open to students and graduates of the university and is based on a business plan competition.