Innovate UK Executive Director for Place and Global
Dean Cook is Executive Director for Place and Global at Innovate UK. As part of the senior leadership team, Dean has responsibility for working across Innovate UK to embed ‘place’ and ‘global’ more widely across Innovate UK’s activities.
With over 30 years’ experience in research commercialisation, Dean joined Innovate UK in 2014.
He was formerly at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Food and Environment Research Agency in York. This is where his early career was as an applied biologist working with industry to reduce pesticide use in farming.
He then moved into various roles within the agency’s commercial and science management teams.
Dean is a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and an MBA graduate of the University of Warwick. Originally from the south of England, Dean has lived in York for almost 30 years and has represented Innovate UK on a number of economic boards across the north of England.
Dean has a strong interest in innovation clusters and brings a business perspective to collaborative activities with other UK Research and Innovation councils.
Last updated: 22 January 2025