British CleanTech scale‑up Kinewell has added two senior figures to its board as it seeks to accelerate international expansion in the offshore wind market and commercialise its lifetime‑cost optimisation technologies. The appointments follow a regional funding injection linked to a north‑east growth programme.
Experienced technology and finance leaders join board
David Pinches has joined Kinewell as a non‑executive director while Craig Lilford will serve as a fractional chief financial officer. Kinewell, a winner of the King’s Award for Enterprise, develops software and advanced analytics that aim to reduce whole‑life costs for low‑carbon infrastructure by applying mathematics and artificial intelligence.
Pinches, a computer science and mathematics graduate from Leeds University, brings extensive experience from the business‑to‑business software sector. His 44‑year career includes senior technology and commercial roles such as head of software at Sage, commercial director at Scott Logic and non‑executive chair of Salesfire.
“Kinewell is a fantastic success story for UK plc, creating high skilled jobs and exporting its software solutions to customers across the globe, but more importantly, the company is also playing a pivotal role in tackling one of our planet’s greatest challenges, energy security and the climate crisis. I am thrilled to be joining the business as non‑executive director at such an exciting time in its journey and look forward to contributing to the next stage of the company’s growth while supporting the global transition to a net‑zero society.”
The statement was provided by Pinches following his appointment. Craig Lilford is described by Kinewell as an experienced board adviser and commercial leader; the announcement lists him as the company’s fractional CFO.
Backed by regional investment
The appointments come after a £750,000 investment by the North East Accelerate Fund, which is managed by Mercia Ventures. The fund was established by The North East Fund with support from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, under Mayor Kim McGuinness.
Mercia facilitated the introduction of Pinches to Kinewell as part of the investor engagement, signalling active involvement from regional growth capital in supporting CleanTech scale‑ups that target global offshore wind markets.
- Company: Kinewell — King’s Award for Enterprise winner, CleanTech scale‑up
- New board members: David Pinches (non‑exec director), Craig Lilford (fractional CFO)
- Regional investment: £750,000 from North East Accelerate Fund (managed by Mercia)
For Kinewell, the new appointments strengthen both commercial and financial leadership as it seeks to convert technical capability into scalable customer solutions for a sector that is rapidly expanding worldwide. The company focuses on lifetime cost optimisation for low‑carbon technologies — a commercial proposition that targets operators and asset owners seeking to reduce costs across project lifecycles.
What this means for growth and exports
Recruiting senior executives with deep software and commercial backgrounds suggests Kinewell is preparing for a phase of more aggressive market development. Pinches’s track record in scaling business‑to‑business software and in international commercial roles aligns with the company’s stated aim of exporting its tools. Meanwhile, the involvement of a fractional CFO indicates a focus on financial discipline and scalable capital planning as the firm expands.
Regionally sourced venture and growth funding, such as the North East Accelerate Fund, is increasingly visible in the UK CleanTech ecosystem. That pipeline of capital, combined with experienced non‑executive input, can help translate technical innovation into contracts and deployments in offshore wind and other low‑carbon infrastructure.
While Kinewell’s announcement highlights the company’s role in addressing energy security and climate challenges, the practical test will be converting that potential into contracted work and measurable reductions in lifetime project costs for customers — a task the new board additions have been hired to pursue.
