Dr. Ian Campbell, Senior Vice President of the National Transformation Initiative (NTI), leads a diverse and growing portfolio that includes large-scale, Kingdom-wide strategic initiatives such as KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative (KCRI), the development and management of industry partnerships, Beacon Development Consultancy, and, most recently, the joint leadership of the newly established Translation Hub.

NTI is also responsible for implementing and overseeing the International Hubs initiative, which is creating a global network to extend KAUST's reach, foster international collaboration, and attract strategic partners. Dr. Ian Campbell works with KAUST researchers and leadership to accelerate the technology and innovation economy in the Kingdom. He supports the University’s vision to leverage KAUST’s science and innovation to create meaningful collaborations and identify opportunities for contribution. NTI aims to unite people and resources for projects that deliver solutions benefiting the Kingdom and beyond. A key measure of success is enhancing research, commercialization, technology development, and deployment.

Before joining KAUST, Dr. Campbell served as Executive Chair of Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, where he also led Health and Life Sciences. In 2020, he played a key role in securing a COVID-19 response package to support thousands of UK businesses. With deep entrepreneurial experience in the healthcare sector, he was previously CEO of Arquer Diagnostics and held senior roles in health and Life Sciences over 15 years.

Dr. Campbell was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honors List for his services to innovation