Management of the innovation process is clearly an imperative in the strategy for developing a technology company, with managerial competence, coupled with entrepreneurial flair, is key to managing the inventive-to-innovation transition.
The managerial structure and function must align with the standards of best practice and the Innovation Management System Framework (ISO 56002).
As part of MagrowTec’s project with GB Innovation, MagrowTec has aligned with the “Byrne ARC Model for Innovation and R&D Management”, together with the prospect of collaborating on the development of the model-based upon foundational considerations relating to sustaining and disruptive technologies and stage sequencing revisions for effective innovation.
To facilitate this need, a MagrowTec RD&I Board has been set up, with the additional remit to serve as a vehicle through which Innovation and R&D initiatives can be implemented under the headings of:
1) RD&I Governance & Leadership and input into policymaking and decision support
2) RD&I Planning & Operations
3) RD&I Diagnostics
4) RD&I People & Training and RD&I Marketing support.
Prof. Gerry Byrne (GBI) and Prof. Anthony Furness (CSO, MagrowTec) will drive this activity, with prospect too of having marketing representation.
Structuring the Innovation Management within MagrowTec will be assisted by the full deployment across the company of best-practice Innovation (incorporating R&D), based upon the Innovation Management System Framework, ISO56002 (Guidance Standard), relating to which Prof. Byrne sits on the NSAI Technical Committee (TC45)
The R&D and Innovation board membership comprises:
Gerald Byrne
Chairman of Board Professor Gerry Byrne is one of Ireland’s most senior international chartered engineers and has been actively involved in applied, industrial R&D and Innovation for over 30 years. Gerry is a senior advisor to the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and is the Chief Scientific Officer of ReaDI-
Watch Ltd. He is the former Dean of Engineering at University College Dublin. His current focus in on the Management of RD&I in industry.
Gary Wickham
Chief Executive Officer Gary Wickham, founding member & CEO of MagrowTec is an accomplished and highly experienced entrepreneur & businessman. Gary began his career in Henkel Loctite Ireland where he held several senior management positions which included building Loctite’s first ever cleanroom facility for the Biomedical and Microelectronic product ranges.
Mel Hurley
Chief Financial Officer Mel has over 25 years international experience in senior management roles with companies such as Rentokil Initial (UK), Fiserv (USA) and Changing Worlds (Ireland) bought out by Amdocs (USA).
David Byrne
Board Observer Dave Byrne is Founder & CEO of ReaDI-Watch Ltd. which provides a digital platform for companies to manage RD&I in real-time and accelerate business results. Prior to founding ReaDI-Watch, Dave led a team of 10 consultants working with some 100 companies over 7 years to implement lean Innovation & R&D management structures, strategies & processes.
He helped Gerry grow GB Innovation into a successful RD&I consultancy firm since 2014 in the company leadership team. Dave holds an MSc in Finance from Smurfit School, UCD and a BComm International from UCD.
Peter Robertson
Chief Technology Officer Peter Robertson is Chief Technology Officer at MagrowTec, responsible for leading the company’s technology strategy, product innovation, and scientific development. He oversees the advancement of MagrowTec’s patented magnetic-assist spray technology, ensuring that research, engineering, and field validation come together to deliver reliable, data-driven solutions for growers worldwide.
Prior to joining MagrowTec, Peter held senior roles across engineering, product development, and agritech innovation, where he led multidisciplinary teams and delivered high-impact technologies that improved performance, efficiency, and sustainability across agricultural systems.
Cleo Harvey
Chief Research Officer Cleo Harvey is a Research & Development Scientist at MagrowTec, contributing to the company’s mission of advancing deep-tech spray innovation through rigorous scientific inquiry and experimentation. She supports the development of new RD&I methodologies, working across laboratory testing, data analysis, and collaborative research projects to strengthen the technical capabilities behind MagrowTec’s magnetic-assist spray technology.
Prior to joining MagrowTec, Cleo gained hands-on experience across environmental science and applied research roles, where she supported multidisciplinary teams in delivering high-quality insights, protocols, and scientific outputs.
