| Authorised form of name | Cooksey; Sir; David James Scott (1940-2024); businessman; venture capitalist; policy advisor |
| Dates | 1940-2024 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Sutton, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 14 May 1940 |
| Place of death | England, United Kingdom |
| Date of death | 28 January 2024 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Funeral: All Saints’ Church, Whiteparish, Hampshire, United Kingdom (24th February 2024) |
| Occupation | Executive |
| Research field | Materials Science |
| Economics |
| Engineering |
| Science and state |
| Policy sciences |
| Medical technology |
| Medical care |
| Health care reform |
| Activity | Education:
Westminster School; St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Career:
Began as an industrial engineer, reaching a management position at Formica International, leading the management buy-out of a subsidiary (1971); formed Advent Venture Partners, providing financing for technology-based businesses and one of the first venture capital firms in the United Kingdom (1981-2006); first chairman of the British Venture Capital Association (1983/4); chairman of the Audit Commission (1986-1995); director of the Bank of England (1994-2005); Governor of the Wellcome Trust (1995–1999); chairman of the Local Government Commission for England (1996); Board of Directors at Diamond Light Source Ltd (2002-2008); chair the Biosciences Industry Growth Taskforce by HM Treasury (2003); chairman of the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (2005/6); chairman of London and Continental Railways (2006-2011); chairman of Bechtel Ltd (2008); chairman of the Francis Crick Institute (2009-2017); Pro Chancellor of the University of Southampton (2009–2013); chaired UK Financial Investments Limited (2009-2012); died from a heart attack.
Honours:
KB 1993; GBE 2007 |
| Membership category | Honorary Fellow |
| Date of election | 14/04/2020 |
| Age at election | 79 |
| Relationships | Spouse: (m. May 1973) Janet Wardell-Yerburgh.
Children: One daughter and one son. |
| OtherInfo | The translation of scientific discovery into economic and health benefit has been the driving force behind David Cooksey's working life. He recognised that this can only be achieved with a high quality science infrastructure populated by world-class scientists.
Persuaded Government to introduce incentives for risk investments in early stage technology and life sciences companies.
Following his appointment as a Governor of the Wellcome Trust, he persuaded his fellow governors to work alongside Government to offer University Challenge Seed Funds to provide on-campus proof-of-principle funding. This was followed by the Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF), a major initiative to improve universities’ scientific research infrastructure. The largest JIF investment was in the Diamond Light Source synchrotron accelerator which Cooksey chaired from inception to full operation.
Led the Cooksey Review of Medical Research Funding which challenged the accepted translation pathways, secured substantial additional medical research funding and led to the formation of the Francis Crick Institute.
He chaired the Crick from initial concept to complete delivery. |
| Source | References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cooksey#Awards_and_honours
The Royal Society Fellows Directory, Sir David Cooksey GBE FMedSci FRS, [URL: https://royalsociety.org/people/david-cooksey-25434/: last accessed: 28/10/2025]
The Francis Crick Institute, News & Features, In tribute to Sir David Cooksey, 1940-2024, 5 February 2024, [URL: https://www.crick.ac.uk/news/2024-02-05_in-tribute-to-sir-david-cooksey-1940-2024; last accessed: 28/10/2025]
St. Edmund's Hall, Hall remembers Sir David Cooksey, 2 February 2024, [URL: https://www.seh.ox.ac.uk/news/teddy-hall-remembers-sir-david-cooksey; last accessed: 28/10/2025]
The Times, Announcements, Births, marriages and deaths: February 12, 2024, [URL: https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/bmds-feb12-b5swxnbml; last accessed: 28/20/2025]
The Times, Obituary, Sir David Cooksey obituary: pioneering venture capitalist, 24 February 2024, [URL: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/sir-david-cooksey-obituary-b9j38sr9k?msockid=2825b913bbc7638b0090af0bba2562f3; last accessed: 28/10/2025] |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/12075146 |
| Code | NA10354 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/2020/62 | Cooksey, David James Scott: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 14 April 2020 |
| IM/008007 | Cooksey, David James Scott | 2020 |