North East England

Position : CEO
Company : Poly Photonix
Location : Sedgefield, County Durham

"The principal reason for setting up PolyPhotonix in the North East is because of PETEC.  It would have been very difficult to do without the PETEC infrastructure.  We’ve been able to pull in resources, use some of the PETEC materials, and access the right kind of people - all of which would have been prohibitively expensive under any other system.

Also, ONE North East has been very helpful.  I don’t think we could have done it as quickly elsewhere.  Plus PETEC has given us a lot of credibility.  We are now talking to some major blue chip international companies about investment into PolyPhotonix.  I firmly believe that we are in a position to lead the field with this new generation of materials - which is very exciting. 

I’m looking to recruit some very significant people - in some cases from abroad - to work with us.  And they’re excited about moving to the North East.  I live in London, with my young family, so I plan to buy a house around Sedgefield, County Durham and live there between two to four days a week. 

I love the countryside.  I always put my bicycle in the back of the car when I’m up so that I can get out into the countryside on an evening.  You can do a quick 20, 30 miles around country roads, which is absolutely fantastic.  I’m also a climber and a mountaineer so I enjoy getting out into the countryside .

There’s a quality of life up there which is different to London.  In London you slip into the ‘London life’, which is great – but there’s a quality of life up there which is admirable."