Cambridge fund chair.

Lord Roger Freeman has been appointed the new chairman of the University of Cambridge Challenge Fund, part of Cambridge Enterprise.

Lord Freeman was MP for Kettering from 1983 to 1997. He held a range of ministerial positions including Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Minister of State for Public Transport and Minister of State for Defence Procurement.

Since December 1997, Lord Freeman has been a partner, then a consultant to PwC. He chairs the corporate finance advisory board for PricewaterhouseCoopers UK. He was elected to the board of Thales UK plc as chairman in March 1999.

The University of Cambridge Challenge Fund has provided early investment to a range of successful spinouts including Smart Holograms, Metalysis and genapta.