Neil Douglas (Chairman)
Viper Innovations
Neil Douglas graduated in 1984 from Bristol University with a degree in Electrical and Electronic engineering and obtained a Masters in Subsea Engineering from Cranfield University in 1991. Neil worked for an international corporation for 23 years in various engineering and management positions until 2007 when, along with co-director Max Nodder, he established Viper Subsea, a company that specialises in technology development, equipment supply, and integrity management of subsea located controls equipment for the International oil and gas industry. Now head-quartered in Portishead, Viper Subsea was renamed Viper Innovations at the end of 2016 as part of a rebrand to facilitate business diversification into other industrial sectors. The company has continuously invested in research and development resulting in a range of proprietary technologies, which has driven the company to realise an average annual growth rate of over 30%.
The company has won many business and technology awards with the most prestigious being the National Private Business Awards in 2014 and the Queens Award for Enterprise in 2016. In 2017 the company won the West of England Business of the Year award and in 2018 won the IET (Institute of Engineering Technology) Intelligent Systems Innovation Award for its CableGuardian technology. In June 2019, the company also won the Railway Innovation Award for CableGuardian for delivering operational efficiencies.
Exports account for approximately 55% of Viper’s revenues, with Europe, Africa, APAC and the Americas all export destinations.
Neil was named the Institute of Directors’ South West Director of the Year Award in 2011. As well as being the Managing Director of Viper Innovations, Neil also sits on the board of LiveWire Innovation Inc, a UTAH based technology company, and is on board of the West of England LEP.
