Philip Stimpson is an entrepreneur, who has pioneered ground-breaking medical inventions and launched several internationally successful businesses.
He is a staunch advocate of partnerships between universities and industry and maintains a successful link with Staffordshire University, having worked on projects with the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and technology and offered his services as an advisor and guest lecturer.
Currently CEO of Mediwatch Plc, a company he founded in 1996 to develop medical products, Philip divides his time between the company’s two key markets, in the UK and USA, and is keen to find ways to promote engineering among the next generation.
He said: “I’ve been associated with Staffordshire University for four years and I’ve been speaking with the engineering team about how we can get students involved in business. I’m very keen that we get a progression, from engineering in schools to university then to industry, and Staffordshire University is an excellent example of that.”
Philip’s own engineering career started with a HND at Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry, in 1958. He then became an Engineer for Northern Electric, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, before switching from telecoms to the medical industry. He undertook a postgraduate course in Nuclear Medicine at Mcgill University, Montreal, and then joined Ohio Nuclear in 1968.
He said: “Having qualified as an engineer, I was doing a lot of innovation work and designing equipment, so when I finished at Ohio Nuclear, I returned to the UK and started a respiratory equipment business.”
Philip launched P.g.S. Medical Ltd in 1972, selling it five years later to American company, gould Corp Inc. He then founded Medix Ltd, designing and manufacturing drug delivery systems for bronchial and asthma sufferers, which he sold to Bespak Plc in 1993. In 1995 he started and continues to run Mediwatch Plc, whose main business is the development and manufacturing of primary care urology equipment.
Over his career, Philip has received numerous awards, including six SMART awards, two research grants, and one European FUSE award. He is also holder of three patents and presenter of an international paper on drug delivery.
The Award of Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University is bestowed upon Philip for his pioneering role in the field of medical technology and for his collaborative work with the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and technology.