Board members

Neil Carson, Non-Executive Chairman

Appointed to the Board: December 2018

Committee membership:
Nomination (Chair)
Remuneration
Sustainability

Independent:
No*

External appointments
Non-Executive Director, member of the Sustainability Committee and Chair of the Remuneration Committee of Shell plc

* Neil was independent upon appointment to the Board, in line with provision 10 of the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018.

Neil Carson's skills and experience

Neil is a former FTSE 100 chief executive. After completing an engineering degree, Neil joined Johnson Matthey in 1980 where he held several senior management positions in the UK and the USA, before holding the role of Chief Executive Officer from 2004 to 2014. He has a broad industrial outlook and a highly commercial approach with a practical perspective on business. He provides valuable insight based on his former executive position and operational experience and brings a track record of strong operational exposure, familiarity with capital-intensive business and a first-class international perspective on driving value in complex environments and this experience makes him particularly well suited to serving as Chair of the Board. Neil was awarded an OBE for services to the chemical industry in 2016.

Neil’s previous non-executive roles include serving as Chairman of TT Electronics plc, Deputy Chairman of TI Fluid Systems plc and as a Non-Executive Director of Paypoint plc and Amec Foster Wheeler plc.

Richard Tyson, Chief Executive Officer

Appointed to the board: October 2023

Committee membership:

None

Independent:
No

Richard Tyson's skills and experience

Richard has a track record of business leadership in the advanced technology sector spanning more than 30 years. In his previous role as Chief Executive Officer at TT Electronics plc from 2014 to 2023, Richard transformed, reshaped and refocused the business, delivering product innovation, building the group organically and through acquisition, and delivering strong growth in revenue, profits and margin. Richard previously held senior roles at defence group Cobham plc, where he was a member of the executive committee and led the aerospace and security division, and at Goodrich Aerospace. He also previously served as the Senior Independent Director and a Non-Executive Director of Videndum plc.

Richard is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a Governor of St Swithun's Independent School for Girls in Hampshire. Richard is a graduate of the Executive Senior Leadership programme at Henley Business School, and holds a diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a BSc in Management Sciences from The University of Manchester.

Paul Fry, Chief Financial Officer

Appointed to the Board: April 2025

Committee membership:

None

Independent:
No

External appointments:
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee, Avacta Group plc

Paul Fry's skills and experience

Paul has a strong track record in senior positions at international healthcare and technology companies, having held the roles of CFO, most recently at Argenta Group and previously at Vectura plc and Immunocore Limited. With a career spanning more than 35 years, Paul has also held a number of senior roles at Vodafone and GlaxoSmithKline. He brings a wealth of highly relevant experience in business transformation, a clear understanding of Oxford Instruments’ growth drivers, and a shared commitment to our purpose and values-led approach. Paul holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford and is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Paul’s previous roles include serving as the Chief Financial Officer at Argenta Group Limited, as the Chief Financial Officer with a period as acting Chief Executive Officer at Vectura Group plc and as the Chief Financial Officer at Immunocore Limited.

Alison Wood, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Appointed to the Board: September 2020

Committee membership:
Audit and Risk
Nomination
Remuneration (Chair)
Sustainability

Independent:
Yes

External appointments:
Non-Executive Chair, Galliford Try Holdings plc
Senior Independent Director, Morgan Advanced Materials plc

Alison Wood's skills and experience

Alison holds a BA in Engineering, Economics and Management from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Her background is in leading business development, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic planning across blue-chip UK companies, particularly in the defence sector. 

She was formerly the Global Director for Corporate Development and Strategy at National Grid plc and before that, Group Strategic Development Director for BAE Systems plc. She is a highly experienced Non-Executive Director and committee chair, with her experience being particularly well suited to her role as Chair of Oxford Instruments’ Remuneration Committee. 

Alison’s previous roles include serving as Senior Independent Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of Costain Group PLC and the British Standards Institute, a Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of Cobham plc and Capricorn Energy PLC (formerly Cairn Energy PLC), Senior Independent Director of e2v plc, Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair, TT Electronics plc and a Non‑Executive Director of both BTG plc and THUS plc.

Rowena Innocent, Independent Non-Executive Director

Appointed to the Board: February 2025

Committee membership:

Audit and Risk
Nomination
Remuneration
Sustainability

Independent:
Yes

External appointments:
Consultant at AcoustoFab Ltd

Rowena Innocent's skills and experience

Rowena is currently a consultant for AcoustoFab Ltd, which aims to create precision-driven, sustainable solutions that address real-world challenges across sectors such as lab automation, 3D printing, and agritech. She also serves as a member of the Advisory Council at the National Composite Centre, and the Digital Program Expert Group for the DSIT National Measurement System, and is an Aegis Professor for Technology, Innovation and Equality and Chair of the IAB School of Physics at the University of Bristol.

Rowena has over 30 years' experience in high-tech product design and manufacturing. She is a Chartered Engineer and holds a degree in Physics with Astrophysics from the University of Leicester. Prior to her current role, Rowena served as the Chief Operating Officer of Ultraleap Limited. She has also held the position of Group Head of STEM strategy at Spectris, as well as a range of engineering leadership roles with Malvern Panalytical (a Spectris company), General Electric and Druck.

Hannah Nichols, Independent Non-Executive Director

Appointed to the Board: January 2024

Committee membership

Audit and Risk (Chair)
Nomination
Remuneration
Sustainability

Independent:
Yes

External appointments
Chief Financial Officer of Coats Group plc

Hannah Nichols' skills and experience

Hannah is currently Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of Coats Group plc, a world leader in thread manufacturing and structural components for apparel and footwear, as well as an innovative pioneer in performance materials and a constituent of the FTSE 250 index on the London Stock Exchange. She holds a Classics degree from the University of Cambridge and is a qualified chartered accountant.

Hannah is an experienced financial professional; prior to her current executive role she held the role of Chief Financial Officer of Hill & Smith PLC, and prior to this had a successful 15-year career at BT Group plc, latterly serving as Chief Financial Officer, Asia, Middle East and Africa for BT Global Services, based in Singapore. She has also held a number of commercial roles at Cable & Wireless plc and qualified as a chartered accountant at Arthur Andersen.

Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Independent Non-Executive Director

Appointed to the Board: September 2021

Committee membership:

Sustainability (Chair)
Audit and Risk
Nomination
Remuneration

Independent:
Yes

External appointments:
Non-Executive Director of Invesco Ltd
Visiting Professor at King’s College, London
International Advisory Board Member of British American Business
Advisory Board member of Centre for European Reform, London

Sir Nigel Sheinwald's skills and experience

Sir Nigel previously served as a British diplomat and has deep knowledge of international politics, strategy, regulation and communication. He holds an MA from Balliol College, University of Oxford, where he is now an Honorary Fellow. He joined the Diplomatic Service in 1976 and served in Brussels, Moscow, Washington and in a wide range of policy roles in London. He served as British Ambassador to the United States (2007-12) and European Union (2000-03) and as Foreign Policy and Defence Adviser to the Prime Minister (2003-07). Since leaving the Diplomatic Service in 2012 he has served on a wide range of corporate and not-for-profit boards. The extensive range of skills and experience that he brings, along with his commitment to Oxford Instruments’ sustainability agenda, is a good fit with the Group’s requirements and particularly benefit his role as Chair of the Sustainability Committee.

Sir Nigel was previously a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Safety, Environment and Sustainability Committee at Royal Dutch Shell plc (now Shell plc).