London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

COVID testing tsar Sir John Bell quits board of Oxford spinout vehicle OSE

COVID testing tsar Sir John Bell quits board of Oxford spinout vehicle OSE

Professor Sir John Bell, a founding director of Oxford Science Enterprises, has resigned amid a slew of boardroom changes at the company.
Professor Sir John Bell, the scientist who served as Boris Johnson's COVID testing tsar, has quit the investment company which backs start-ups created from Oxford University's academic research.

Sky News has learnt that Prof Bell, who is regarded as one of the world's leading medical scientists, stepped down as a non-executive director of Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE) several weeks ago.

One source close to the company said he had decided to resign, and that the company had sought to persuade him to stay on.

Prof Bell, who serves as Oxford's Regius Professor of Medicine, was among OSE's founding directors.

The timing of his resignation was described by the source as significant, with OSE in the middle of a search for a new chief executive.

OSE, which used to be called Oxford Sciences Innovation, is an investor in dozens of companies, including Vaccitech, which created the biotech platform behind AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine.

It also counts First Light, the nuclear fusion energy start-up, and Animal Dynamics, a deep-tech company, among its portfolio.

In an internal memo announcing Prof Bell's departure from the board and which has been seen by Sky News, OSE said: "It is with great regret that we announce Professor Sir John Bell has decided to step down from the board of the company to focus on other commitments.

"John was a founding director of OSE and has played a vital part in the development of the company since its creation in 2015."

The memo quoted Chris Chambers, OSE chairman, as saying: "John's wise counsel will be sorely missed, and we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for his support and friendship over the years.

"I am grateful that John has offered ongoing support for OSE, and he will remain close as we continue to grow the portfolio and support the Oxford Science ecosystem."

Professor Bell said in the memo: "My current commitments are such that I do not have sufficient time available to fulfil my duties as a director of OSE and so, reluctantly, following last year's successful fundraise, I have decided that this a good time to retire from the board.

"I have been part of OSE since it was set up, am proud of the work it has done to develop Oxford's ecosystem, and will continue to support OSE in any way I can."

The exit of Alexis Dormandy as chief executive of the Oxford spinouts vehicle came just months after it raised £250m from shareholders in a rights issue.

Two sources told Sky News in December that Mr Dormandy had effectively been forced out of the role.

Mr Dormandy was a prominent recruit to run OSE in 2020, having started his career at Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, where he helped to launch Virgin Mobile and Virgin Active.

OSE has a roster of blue-chip group of investors regarded as rivalling any comparable vehicle in the world.

Among its publicly disclosed shareholders are Google Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Temasek Holdings, the Singaporean state fund.

Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecoms technology giant, is also a shareholder.

The company has endured a turbulent period in terms of management churn, with several chairs and senior executives quitting in a short space of time.

Co-founded by Alex Snow, the well-known City executive, OSE said its search for a successor to Mr Dormandy was continuing "as planned".

Among the other start-ups it has backed or created are Osler, a blood diagnostics venture, and Bibliu, a digital textbooks platform.

Last year, two of its portfolio companies - MiroBio and DJS Antibodies - were sold to global pharmaceutical companies for a combined consideration of $655m.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×