Oxford, United Kingdom, 15 March 2024 – FluoRok, a deep-tech start-up company developing revolutionary processes to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe, clean and sustainable way, is pleased to announce the appointment of chemical industry veteran Dr Kevin Matthews as non-executive chair of the board.
Currently CEO of global adhesives, composites and functional polymers manufacturer, Scott Bader, Kevin has led chemical manufacturing companies for more than two decades. A highly experienced non-executive in start-ups and large corporations, he was a board member at Elementis plc for nine years during its transformation into a leading speciality chemical company and more recently executive chairman and CEO of Itaconix Ltd (Revolymer). Earlier he worked for multinational chemical companies including Rhodia SA, Albright & Wilson plc and ICI plc. He earned a D. Phil in chemistry from the University of Oxford, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, serves on the Board of Trustees of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) and the UK’s Chemical Industry Association (CIA) Council.
With his wealth of experience, Kevin is ideally poised to add value to FluoRok’s team, advising and supporting the Company’s management as FluoRok accelerates commercialization of its revolutionary fluorination technology, which is set to vastly reduce manufacturing costs, improve industrial safety and lower carbon emissions.
“I am delighted to welcome Kevin as chair of FluoRok’s board and look forward to working with him over the coming months and years. Kevin brings with him decades of invaluable experience in the chemical sector and company governance. His outstanding track record in building growth combined with his leadership, mentorship and non-executive experience will be vitally important to FluoRok as we rapidly scale-up and bring to market our ground-breaking technology,” said FluoRok Founder and CEO, Dr Gabriele Pupo.
Dr Kevin Matthews said, “I am very excited to be joining Fluorok as its non-executive Chair. Fluorok is a rare example of a business with the potential to deliver industry critical materials that are safer and greener whilst also being cheaper.”
About Fluorok
FluoRok is a start-up company based in Oxford, UK and focused on fluorochemical R&D, manufacturing and licensing. It develops novel and transformational technologies to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. Founded in 2022, the company builds on decades of research in the laboratories of Professor Véronique Gouverneur at the University of Oxford.
FluoRok’s proprietary technology directly employs fluorinated waste material or naturally occurring fluorite mineral as a source, to access high-value compounds that are key to the world’s energy transition, our global food supply, and our health. Its innovative solution reduces energy requirements, lowers CO2 emissions and enables reshoring of fluorochemical manufacturing due to intrinsic process safety.
FluoRok is backed by Oxford Science Enterprises, an independent, billion-pound investment company, that funds transformational businesses via its unique partnership with the University of Oxford.
Contact
Dr Gabriele Pupo or Clare Simpson, info@fluorok.com, +44 (0)1865 647095