Technology

Posted on September 27, 2018 by staff

Former Here East COO to oversee growth for Plexal

Technology

Here East has brought Andrew Roughan on board as the new managing director for innovation centre Plexal.

Roughan is former COO of Here East, the innovation and technology campus owned by Delancey’s DV4 fund.

He was also one of the original team behind the project to regenerate the London Olympics Broadcast and Media Centre and will assume full responsibility for Plexal with immediate effect.

Plexal is a flexible workspace and innovation consultancy that brings together ideas, people and technology to solve the problems that matter to industry and society.

It sits at the heart of Here East’s vision to encourage collaboration for innovative and creative businesses of all sizes and across all sectors.

Within Plexal, Roughan will oversee the London Office for Rapid Cyber Security Advancement (LORCA), which was recently launched through £13.5m funding from DCMS and in partnership with Deloitte and CSIT.

LORCA acts as a convening force for the UK cyber security community, to position London and the UK as a world leader in cyber security

Plexal’s innovation team also has a strong focus on mobility, bringing together enterprises, technology service providers, start-ups, SMEs, public bodies, regulators, charities, students and funders to solve major mobility challenges.

Prior to joining Here East as COO, Roughan had considerable experience as a business leader spanning a wide range of sectors. His prior roles have included being commercial director for data centre business Infinity SDC and general manager for Cable & Wireless.

The campus has recently consolidated its position as a cluster of creative businesses by opening The Trampery on the Gantry, 21 state-of-the-art studios for creatives and announced the arrival of the V&A Collection and Research Centre.

In addition, Here East is home to academic institutions such as Loughborough University London and UCL, fast-growth businesses including Sega’s Sports Interactive and global companies such as BT Sport and Ford, the latter of which has created a home for its smart mobility team looking at the future of mobility and connected transportation.

Here East, which was established by property investment and development company Delancey in 2016, has brought more than 3,500 jobs to the Stratford area.

“Plexal has become one of the most important innovation centres in London, supporting a diverse range of large, small and start-up companies across a number of high potential sectors and technology products,” said Roughan.

“I look forward to working with our members, and the wider Here East campus, in collaborating to cause progress on an international scale.”

Paul Goswell, managing director of Delancey, said: “Plexal sits at the heart of Here East’s vision to create a community that unites companies of all sizes with a belief in innovation, collaboration and success.

“This is the fastest growing cluster of tech and innovative businesses in London, and a great British success story of urban regeneration.”