Yorkshire Science

BarryDodd

Barry Dodd began working life as a graduate trainee with ICI and spent five years within ICI management working in London, New York and Teesside. He left when the urge to work for himself got the better of him.

He founded his first company, GSM Graphic Arts Ltd as a two person start up. Through organic growth and 15 acquisitions within the last 15 years GSM has grown to become the largest manufacturer of industrial graphic products in Europe. In the UK, GSM Group run 4 manufacturing plants and a software house. GSM has taken part in the Dti Inside UK Enterprise visit programme that showcased best practice. The Thirsk plant won the IUKE best SME award in year 2000. The Group have won many other awards and appear in several best practice videos.

Barry's voluntary public sector duties include, Chair of the Yorkshire Universities Concept Fund, Vice-Chair of Business Link York and North Yorkshire and Board member of the Yorkshire International Trade Board. Barry is a member of the Yorkshire Forward Board, taking on a remit for Business and Innovation. He currently chairs a strategic review of Connect Yorkshire, a Yorkshire Forward initiative aimed at making high-tech start-up companies market ready.

A typical serial entrepreneur, Barry is also Chairman of Addpower Technologies a high tech start up which has developed an instantly rechargeable battery and Varlink a fast growing distributor of mobile computing solutions.

Public sector activities include:

• Board member Yorkshire Forward.
• Chair of Yorkshire Forward Sustainable Futures Company
• Chair of CONNECT Yorkshire
• Chair of Yorkshire Universities Proof of Concept fund.
• Board member of Yorkshire Innovation, the Regional Science Council