We are pleased to welcome Dr Alexander Reip CChem FRSC and Dr Rehana Sidat CSci CChem FRSC to our Board of Trustees as its two newest appointed members.
The dual appointment will add invaluable commercial acumen and project leadership experience to our executive and help us deliver our strategic goals.
Our Nominations Committee recently met to discuss how best to diversify the range of experience on our board and swiftly sought to bring in both Dr Reip and Dr Sidat. Their arrivals bring the total number of appointed members on our Board of Trustees up to seven.
An award-winning tech entrepreneur and the current CTO of Oxford nanoSystems, Dr Reip (pictured right) has been involved with the Royal Society of Chemistry for years.
He sat on our Professional Standards Board from 2019 until this year, received our 2019 Rising Star in Industry Award, and previously stood as a candidate in our most recent round of Trustee elections.
"I am incredibly honoured to have been appointed as a Trustee," said Dr Reip. "I'm a firm believer in chemistry's ability to tackle climate change and I'm looking forward to working with the team and my fellow trustees to support ground-breaking initiatives and empower chemistry-driven companies making strides in this crucial area.
"Additionally, I'm passionate about elevating scientific education, empowering the next generation of scientific entrepreneurs to make a real difference."
Dr Reip has raised more than £8.5milllion in equity and grant funding for nanotechnology company Oxford nanoSystems. He also has over 15 years of experience developing and commercialising advanced nanomaterials.
The Brunel University PhD graduate also provides advisory services to startups in various sectors, such as nanotechnology, cleantech, biotech, and GenAI. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director of the Net Zero Technology Centre and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and is the Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence at his alma mater.
Meanwhile, experienced pharmaceutical industry leader and GSK vice president Dr Sidat (pictured right) has a similarly strong association with our organisation.
She is currently serving her second term on the Inclusion and Diversity Committee, and has also served on the RSC’s East of England Regional Steering Group and the Nominations Committee.
Dr Sidat has also been involved with several of our initiatives, including our Broadening Horizons programme, and is excited to be part of our leadership team.
She wrote on LinkedIn: "I am truly honoured and delighted to share that I have been Appointed as Trustee at the Royal Society of Chemistry!"
Possessing a PhD in organic chemistry from De Montfort University, she is an advisory group member for the Open University chemistry and biology courses.
Her achievements include being a recipient of the 2023 INvolve Empower Role Model List – Top 100 Executives, as well as receiving the Top 10 Influential Muslim in Healthcare Award from Equity X 2022, and the GSK Inspirational Role Model Award 2021.
Dr Reit and Dr Sidat will both serve in their positions until 2027. They join other appointed trustees Professor Robert Mokoya, Professor Saiful Islam, Jonathan Oxley, Professor Duncan Graham and Professor David M Smith. Read more about our updated governance structure here.