Who we are
Our Team
Professor Sir Christopher Evans - Chairman
Christopher Evans has been chairman of Crawford Healthcare Limited since April 2005. He is also the founder and Chairman of Merlin Biosciences Limited, one of Europe's largest venture capital firms specialising in life sciences.
Sir Christopher is regarded as one of Europe's leading biotechnology entrepreneurs having established twenty successful high quality science companies and floated four on the London Stock Exchange. The businesses he has founded have achieved a combined value of €1.6 billion and employ 2,000 people.
Sir Christopher is recognised for his contribution to small businesses and entrepreneurship throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.
In addition to being voted Cambridge Businessman of the Year twice, he has been awarded the BVCA Cartier Venturer Award for Technology start-ups, the SCI Centenary Medal, the RSC Interdisciplinary medal, and the Henderson Memorial Medal. He also supports small businesses through his membership and chair of committees and trusts including the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, and the National Enterprise Campaign. He has chaired a European Commission Committee for small businesses.
He has a degree in microbiology, a PhD in biochemistry and Research Fellowships in genetic engineering. He holds professorships at the 5 UK universities and has been awarded several Doctor of Science (DSc) degrees in recognition of his achievements as a scientist. He has over 100 publications and patents on his scientific work.
He was awarded a Knighthood in the 2001 New Years Honours List for services to the bioscience industry and in the 1995 New Year's Honours List an OBE for services to biotechnology.