The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has announced that Graeme Cruickshank has been chosen to lead the UK’s National Formulation Centre, a new world class UK based open access innovation center for advanced formulated product design and manufacture.

The £28 million National Formulation Centre is being managed by CPI and brings together leading research, industrial know how and technology infrastructure to provide the environment for companies to accelerate the commercialization of next generation formulated products.

Graeme Cruickshank joins CPI from Procter and Gamble where he spent 20 years in a range of product design roles across a range of FMCGs and most recently was Global Associate Director for Strategic Alliances and Test Method Development. He brings an impressive track record in leading innovation and delivering value from strategic alliances across the globe. In his new role Graeme will focus on the establishment and management of the center which will enable the development and manufacture of complex high-value formulated products within the UK by accelerating and de-risking the innovation process.

The centre is globally unique, and will combine multiple innovation supply chains and world class capability in step change design and mechanistic understanding of complex formulated systems. Working with the National Formulation Centre partners can engage in radical innovation to accelerate the pace of new formulated product and process development which will drive both top line growth and cost productivity improvements for UK based companies. The appointment of Graeme Cruickshank follows the recent recruitment of Andrew Whittaker as Senior Director of Formulation at CPI. Andrew Whittaker most recently worked as RD&I Director for AkzoNobel’s Specialty Chemicals Business Area and during his tenure in this role he also took responsibility for the RD&I Function across AkzoNobel.

Speaking of Graeme’s appointment Andrew Whittaker commented, “Having Graeme run the center is a significant coup in the establishment of the National Formulation Centre. It has been identified for some time now that the UK needs a joined up approach for the commercialization of formulation based products. Graeme brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team in not only what the modern day consumer wants but also how to create the strategic alliances needed for the UK to become a world leader in the science, technology and manufacturing of formulation based products.”

Graeme Cruickshank, Director of the National Formulation Centre adds, “The National Formulation Centre will step-change the way formulated products are delivered by providing a route to sustainable competitive advantage for UK-based partner companies, creating real commercial value by bringing bigger and better innovations to market faster and enabling “more from less” efficiency in R&D. This will make the UK an ideal place to anchor high value roles and truly demonstrate the value creation potential of this Best of British innovation hothouse.