Chris Courtney

Chief Executive Officer, National Manufacturing Institute Scotland

Chris Courtney joined the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) in late 2022, bringing a wealth of manufacturing and industrial experience built across senior roles in industry, consultancy, and public sector.

Before joining NMIS, Chris served as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Challenge Director for the Made Smarter innovation programme; driving the UK’s digital manufacturing transformation, and he led Industry 4.0 developments across manufacturing at Deloitte.

His career also spans roles as CTO of a start-up, launch Chairman of the Centre for Modelling & Simulation (CFMS), and Engineering Vice President at Rolls-Royce, where he delivered technology and business transformation across aerospace, defence, commercial, and marine sectors. He has worked extensively across the globe in Scandinavia, USA, Singapore and Europe.

Now based in Scotland, Chris plays a key role in shaping the country’s industrial and clean energy transformation. He is the lead for the High Value Manufacturing Catapult’s Clean Energy Transition strategic priority, supporting UK manufacturing to drive innovation and competitiveness in the shift towards net zero. He is also a board member of ETZ EnergyWorks in Aberdeen, helping advance the region’s position as a global hub for energy transition and green manufacturing. In addition, Chris contributes to shaping national policy as part of the Scottish Government’s Strategic Leadership Group for Manufacturing.

He holds an MBA from Warwick Business School, a master’s degree from Cranfield University, and a degree in aeronautical engineering from Queen’s University Belfast