The Oxford Trust has appointed Matt Francis as its next chief executive officer. Matt will join the Trust on 1 September 2026 and formally take up the role on 25 September, succeeding Steve Burgess who has led the organisation for thirteen years.
Matt Francis joins from Oxford Innovation Space, where he served as head of science and technology, leading business development for the science and technology portfolio, identifying new opportunities, building strategic partnerships and expanding laboratory space across the network. Prior to that role, he spent nearly a decade at The Oxford Trust itself, including five years in senior operational leadership positions — among them project director and director of operations and enterprise — during which he led the delivery of the £13 million Wood Centre for Innovation.
The appointment comes at a significant moment for the Trust. The Aspen Building — a new innovation centre for science and technology start-ups on the Trust's eighteen-acre Headington site — is due to open in July 2026, joining the existing Linden Building which opened in 2019. The site also houses the Science Oxford Centre, which welcomes schools during the week and families at weekends. The Trust also operates the Oxford Centre for Innovation at Blue Boar Court in Oxford city centre.
John Boyle, chair of trustees, said: “We are delighted to welcome Matt Francis as the next CEO of The Oxford Trust. We are confident that Matt brings the vision, sector experience and passion needed to build on the Trust's 40-year legacy.”
Matt Francis said: “The Oxford Trust has always sat at a distinctive intersection: education and engagement programmes that fire the imaginations of young scientists, alongside innovation centres that help those scientists become the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Having spent recent years working across the UK's science and technology innovation landscape, I return more convinced than ever that its role — independent, mission-driven, and with 40 years of trust built up in this community — has never mattered more. With the Aspen Building opening this summer and Oxford's growing prominence on the national innovation stage, the timing feels significant.”
Steve Burgess, outgoing chief executive, said: “It has been a privilege to lead The Oxford Trust and work alongside such dedicated colleagues, trustees and partners. I am proud of what has been achieved over the last 13 years supporting hundreds of start-ups and scaleups and sparking the imaginations of our future scientists.”
An official celebration of Steve's tenure and the formal handover to Matt is planned for September 2026.
Source: The Oxford Trust · 12 May 2026