Ex-Centrica and BP boss Iain Conn joins Oxford Flow board

Industry heavyweight to guide company growth and diversification

Oxford Flow, the flow control equipment specialist for oil, gas, water and industrial process industries, today announces the appointment of Iain Conn as non-executive director as the company embarks on further growth and diversification.

Energy industry veteran Conn brings 35 years of experience to the post, including 29 years with BP, 10 of which were on BP’s Board, latterly as CEO Downstream. Most recently, Conn was the Group CEO at Centrica where he pioneered repositioning its portfolio towards distributed, lower-carbon technologies, services and solutions. Conn joins another energy stalwart, Shell’s former CFO Simon Henry, who already has an advisory role with Oxford Flow’s board. Conn is also an advisor to Oxford Sciences Innovation and its Deep Tech Portfolio.

Neil Poxon, CEO at Oxford Flow comments: “We have developed an ambitious roadmap for growth and diversification. Iain’s extensive experience from a strategic and operational perspective will enable us to penetrate into new sectors, like oil and gas, at a faster rate. As we see the energy and water industries face mounting challenges like tackling emissions and reducing non-revenue water, his steadfast guidance will prove invaluable.

“What’s really powerful is the combination of Iain and Simon together – we’re incredibly proud to have such impressive industry names as part of our board and advisory. With Simon’s commercial expertise, Iain’s technical track record and their joint strategic experiences, we believe we can maximise value for all stakeholders.”

The company, which develops a range of innovative pressure reducing valves and gas regulators, has already carved a remarkable growth story in the last 12 months. In early February 2020, Oxford Flow opened its first US office in Houston, TX and in mid-March announced a strategic investment from GF Piping Systems, a division of Georg Fischer. In addition, Oxford Flow secured another £9.1m investment in July to support its expansion across the utility and industrials markets, as well as oil and gas product development.