News

Knowledge House has pole position in Durham

(11 August 2006)

Knowledge House, the organisation that facilitates closer working links between the region’s universities and the North East business sector, has strengthened its team with a new arrival.

Dave Armstrong, previously a director of Mindflex Associates, a specialist change management consultancy focused on knowledge-based companies, has been appointed to the post of Consultancy Manager at Durham University. He will be responsible for working within the business community to help them benefit from Knowledge House and ensure that untapped university expertise including engineering, product development and business consultancy services become even more accessible to locally based businesses. Dave brings a wealth of commercial experience to the role, having spent 15 years managing product development projects for Shell both in the UK and across Europe. He has held Sales Management, Strategic Marketing and Principal Consultant roles for Shell Global Solutions, a world leader in providing cutting-edge consultancy and R&D technology services to the petrochemical and processing industries. To take up his new post, Dave has moved back to his native North East from Cheshire. Dave was responsible for providing worldwide technical support to Shell’s operating companies in the commercial use of fuel additives. The role led to a stint in the ‘fast lane’ providing technical development and support to the Mclaren F1 racing team led by Ayrton Senna, who took the World Championship 3 times for Mclaren. Dave is very enthusiastic about his new post and the challenges it presents. He said: “I’ve joined Durham University and the Knowledge House team at a very exciting time. Increasingly, firms are beginning to see the benefits that working with universities can bring. “My role is centred around fostering and continually improving those links by promoting and enabling innovation and ‘knowledge transfer’ contracts through which companies can work with academic experts to improve their people, processes and products.” “I’m a collaborator at heart and Durham University houses huge intellectual horsepower and real world experience that can be harnessed to assist the individual needs of North East businesses.” Knowledge House works with the universities of Teesside, Durham, Sunderland, Northumbria and Newcastle as well as the Open University in the North. Since launching in 1995, Knowledge House has worked with a large range of companies and individuals, handling over 4,000 enquiries and delivered over 1000 projects. For further information about Knowledge House visit the website or contact Dawn Lycett at Knowledge House Central Office on 0191 516 4408 or e-mail d.lycett@knowledgehouse.ac.uk

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