Event Five – South Yorkshire Trade Mission, London Stock Exchange

Not just recordings — a curated record of ambition, insight, and real industrial momentum.

Welcome to the South Yorkshire Trade Mission

David Richards MBE

David Richards MBE welcomes guests to the London Stock Exchange for the South Yorkshire Innovation Showcase, highlighting the opportunity to bring South Yorkshire businesses to a global stage and showcase the phenomenal innovation, talent and enterprise the region has to offer.

Opening Keynote

Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire Mayor

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard opened the event with a clear articulation of the region’s momentum and untapped potential. He described a place rich in specialist talent and “beginning to believe in itself again,” with growth in key sectors now outpacing much of the UK. Coppard stressed that unlocking this capability requires backing local leadership and investing in local people.

Innovation Showcase

Tim Craggs, Founder at Exciting Instruments

Exciting Instruments is democratising single-molecule measurement, offering tools that give life science researchers and drug developers unprecedented molecular insight. The company is reshaping how molecular interactions are quantified, making high-precision analysis accessible far beyond specialist laboratories.

https://excitinginstruments.com/

Dr Rob Ward, CEO and Co-Founder at DigitalCNC

Dr Rob Ward is the CEO and Co-Founder of DigitalCNC, a digital manufacturing software company dedicated to transforming the industry. Previously an Industrial Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield’s AMRC, he brings a unique perspective on digital manufacturing, including advanced control of manufacturing processes (subtractive and additive). Rob is the Founder and Director of the Robotics & Autonomous Manufacturing Systems Lab at the University of Sheffield and is known for his dedication to translating fundamental research into practical industrial applications, collaborating with companies from SMEs to OEMs. His work has been nationally recognised, including a nomination for Digital Twin Machine Tool Control at the National Manufacturing and Engineering Awards.

https://digitalcnc.ai/

Chris Iveson, CEO and Founder at FourJaw

Chris Iveson is the Founder and CEO of FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics, a company spun out from the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). He leads FourJaw with a clear vision: to maximise manufacturing productivity globally. With a background in engineering, Chris brings deep industry insight and a pragmatic approach to digital transformation. He cares passionately about making data accessible and actionable for frontline teams, enabling manufacturers to unlock productivity, reduce waste, and drive sustainable growth in an increasingly connected industrial landscape.

https://fourjaw.com/

Nick Thompson, CEO and co-founder of OLO Robotics

Nick Thompson is CEO and co-founder of OLO Robotics, a UK company building a platform for programming, simulating, visualising and controlling robots.

OLO brings together cloud robotics simulation, visualisation and programming in one accessible environment, helping developers, researchers and organisations build and test robot applications more quickly. Nick is focused on positioning OLO as the practical bridge between modern software development and robotics.

Before joining OLO, Nick spent more than two decades building and leading One Beyond, an international software development company before exiting to a private equity group.

https://olo-robotics.com/