Andrew Roughan appointed as managing director of Here East’s innovation centre Plexal

Former Here East COO set to oversee the next phase of growth for Plexal 

Andrew will have direct responsibility for a community of over 150 companies and the Government’s London Office for Rapid Cyber Security Advancement

Here East, the innovation and technology campus owned by Delancey’s DV4 fund, has today announced Andrew Roughan as the new Managing Director for Plexal, the innovation centre.

Andrew Roughan, the former COO of Here East and one of the original team behind the project to regenerate the London Olympics Broadcast and Media Centre, will assume full responsibility for Plexal with immediate effect.

Plexal is a flexible workspace and innovation consultancy that brings together ideas, people and technology to solve the problems that matter to industry and society. It sits at the heart of Here East’s vision to encourage collaboration for innovative and creative businesses of all sizes and across all sectors.

Within Plexal, Andrew will oversee the London Office for Rapid Cyber Security Advancement (LORCA), which was recently launched  through £13.5m funding from DCMS and in partnership with Deloitte and CSIT. LORCA acts as a convening force for the UK cyber security community, to position London and the UK as a world leader in cyber security

Plexal’s innovation team also has a strong focus on mobility, bringing together enterprises, technology service providers, start-ups, SMEs, public bodies, regulators, charities, students and funders to solve major mobility challenges.

Prior to joining Here East as COO, Andrew had considerable experience as a business leader spanning a wide range of sectors. His prior roles have included being Commercial Director for data centre business Infinity SDC and General Manager for Cable & Wireless.

Plexal, which was established by Delancey in 2016, is a fundamental component of the growing Here East community. The campus has recently consolidated its position as a cluster of creative businesses by opening The Trampery on the Gantry, 21 state-of-the-art studios for creatives and announced the arrival of the V&A Collection and Research Centre.

In addition, Here East is home to academic institutions such as Loughborough University London and UCL, fast-growth businesses including MATCHESFASHION.com and Sega’s Sports Interactive and global companies such as BT Sport and Ford, the latter of which has created a home for its smart mobility team looking at the future of mobility and connected transportation.

Here East, which is owned by the property investment and development company, Delancey, has brought more than 3,500 jobs to the Stratford area and is heralded as a global leader in the commercial redevelopment of Olympic parks.

Andrew Roughan, Managing Director of Plexal, comments, “Plexal has become one of the most important innovation centres in London, supporting a diverse range of large, small and start-up companies across a number of high potential sectors and technology products. I look forward to working with our members, and the wider Here East campus, in collaborating to cause progress on an international scale.”

Gavin Poole, Chief Executive of Here East, comments, “We are delighted to announce Andrew Roughan as the Managing Director of Plexal. Having worked alongside Andrew to create Here East, I know he has the passion and expertise required to cultivate the growth of Plexal’s community and partnerships across the campus in a way that contributes to the wider campus, the UK economy and the local region.”

Paul Goswell, Managing Director of Delancey, comments, “Plexal sits at the heart of Here East’s vision to create a community that unites companies of all sizes with a belief in innovation, collaboration and success. This is the fastest growing cluster of tech and innovative businesses in London, and a great British success story of urban regeneration.”