Charlotte Williams is Professor of Catalysis and Polymer Chemistry and Chief Scientific Officer for Econic, an Imperial Innovations spin-out company.

In a sentence, what is Econic all about?

Our main focus is in integrating CO2 into the manufacturing process of polymers with the use of novel catalyst technologies.

How did you go from discovery to commercialisation?

Our first major catalyst discovery was in 2008. We filed a patent and continued to develop the science while exploring options for the technology and eventually formed Econic in 2011. I think each case is different when making the decision to commercialise. For me, part of it was wanting to remain involved in the science; I wanted to be part of its progression.

What has stuck with you in forming Econic?

I enjoy being part of a varied team and getting to understand the business opportunities. I’ve been able to work with different types of scientists all of whom have had an important role in helping us translate the technology. It has been a big learning curve for me which I have very much enjoyed and I believe will feed back to my academic work.

Are your roles as an academic and an entrepreneur complementary?

I find there’s quite a bit of overlap in the skill-sets required for both roles: in both academic science and enterprise you need to be adaptable, able to listen, and to work effectively in a team. It’s also important to focus on and realise your vision and not to become distracted by other interests.

Econic has a number of women in key managerial and technical roles as well as on the board of directors. Is that deliberate?

We have been fortunate in having the participation of very talented women at Econic. But it isn’t the result of a deliberate attempt to find women; they were simply the best fit in terms of what we were looking for and what was best for the team. However, it’s important that Econic’s team is diverse both in terms of gender, ethnicity and experience.

To learn how you can commercialise your research, go to imperialinnovations.co.uk