London-based Automata Technologies, an automation company for life sciences labs, has appointed Joe Stringer as executive chairman and director of corporate development for the UK and EMEA, focused on delivering Automata’s expansion and commercialisation strategy in the UK and internationally.

Stringer joins the company from Automata’s backer Octopus Ventures where he was most recently head of healthtech investments. He has experience of healthcare technology, investments and management consulting and has worked in leadership roles at Ernst & Young, Google Health and Holland & Barrett, Joe is uniquely positioned to help support the next phase of growth at Automata. Through his role at Octopus Ventures, Stringer has been involved with Automata since January 2022 as an investor and investor director, and remains on the board of directors.

Mostafa Elsayed, founder and chief executive of Automata, said: “It is great to welcome Joe to the Automata family full-time. His incredible experience in the health and life sciences sector, combined with unwavering commitment to making a tangible difference to society, makes him a valuable addition to our leadership team. It is also a real endorsement of our business and potential that Joe has committed to joining us from being our lead investor last year.

“Driven by improving both quality and throughput at the front line of healthcare throughout his career, Joe’s appointment underscores Automata’s continued commitment to innovation which reduces drug development and testing timelines, costs and error rates, ultimately improving outcomes for patients.”

Stringer commented: “It’s a privilege to be part of a team that is not only at the cutting edge of automation, but also passionately dedicated to bettering healthcare. Automata is already achieving remarkable growth and results with prestigious clients like the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the Francis Crick Institute. 

“I believe Automata is one of the UK’s best examples of the global potential of our health and life sciences technology sector. I am looking forward to getting stuck in and further growing our presence both in the NHS and with other key pharma, biotech and institutional partners around the world.”

Last month Automata raised $40 million in a round led by Dimension, with participation from A.P. Moller Holding, alongside returning investors Octopus Ventures, Hummingbird Ventures, Isomer Capital, Possible Ventures and Aldea Ventures.