The Life Journey of Professor Alan Barrell

Professor Alan
Barrell
University of
Portsmouth 2020
Stages and Experiences in an Entrepreneurial Career
A Life’s Journey

It has been my fortune to live and work from the ancient and innovative city
Firstly - Greetings from Cambridge

During my talk - please
consider….Your Life’sJourney
“We may have to give up the life
we have planned, to find and take
up the life that is waiting for us” -
Joseph Campbell
Our Vision and
Aspirations are
important but may be
difficult to realise
There may be moments
of special challenge and
“calls to adventure”
Using my Life’s Journey as an example and a few
great lives too - to stimulate your own thoughts
about the future

ALL stories start with PEOPLE
But let’s start at the
beginning
I started life like
everybody else.
This is my
grandson when
one day old
EVERYONE begins like
this - however famous
or successful they may
eventually become

A Life’s Journey which has taken me around the
world in three phases
In examining this personal story we will discuss - Creativity,
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the importance of Research,
Innovation and how these can lead to new business start-ups
 1. From Youthful Vision to a professional position in Biomedicine
 2. A “call to adventure” and a new motivation leading to a
transformation from medicine to business. Progress in
international business and experience towards Entrepreneurship
 A new “call to adventure” and conversion to an Entrepreneurial
life and Academic engagement

I was born in 1940 in London
By the time I was five - lots of London and other
cities in Europe looked like this. Not an easy time.

An uneventful childhood in a poor but happy family followed the war
my progress:
 Primary School
 Grammar School
 Aspirations to study A levels and go to University and Medical
School
 Aspirations not realised due to need of family for me to work
 Instead - six years of full time work and training in Clinical
Laboratory Bioscience (next best thing to Medicine). Four nights
a week at evening classes
 Working in the shadow of Heroes and Heroines of Medical
Science
 Eventually - a graduate Biomedical Scientist

Louis Pasteur
The discoverer of Bacteria - a
monumental step for medical
science
“Chance
favours the
prepared mind”
Louis Pasteur
The fascination
of the
Laboratory

Sir Alexander Fleming
The discovery of
Penicillin 1927
But not available to
save lives until
1942
Remember Pasteur - “Chance favours the prepared mind”
The Penicillin story is a great example

A mistake led to the discovery of
Penicillin
Fleming left a window open close to his culture plates over a weekend
- and when he cam back - some colonies of bacteria had been killed.
His mind was prepared and he discovered what killed them - a mould
blowing in a Penicillium mould.

Innovators and
Entrepreneurs
have often been
great
improvisers
and overcame
big obstacles
including lack
of cash
From old
washing
machines and
car parts to….
Another Hero - Dr Willem Kolff
He didn’t think of himself as an Entrepreneur but he was

Willem Kolff’s first Drum Kidney Machine - 1942

Marie Curie – Maria Salomea Skodowska - How many
lives did she save or change ?
There have
been many
HEROINES !
The men
don’t have all
the glory
Fighting to
overcome the
scourge of
cancer. Had
to fight
resistance
and the
establishment
FIRST woman to win Nobel Prize and won TWO. First
woman Professor at University of Paris
Died of radiation poisoning

I specialised and graduated in
Haematology - the study of blood
and blood diseases
All the way from collecting blood to doing all the blood
tests and recognising different blood cells

Microscopic picture of normal red
blood cells
The transporters of essential oxygen to
all our body cells. Manufactured in our
bone marrow

And I learned to recognise all of the
variants of infection fighting white blood
cells

And suddenly - a “Call to
Adventure”
Not a
professional call
but a very
personal one
Human beings
have hearts as
well as heads

A young lady appeared on the scene
The thoughts of married and family life were
strong
But financial
pressures were
severe
Ambition stirred
and a new world
was revealed

A transition from “life in the lab” with no knowledge
of business or entrepreneurship….
Crossing the threshold after a call to adventure to a
new world - exchanging my white coat for a suit, tie
and salesman’s briefcase

Marching with optimism into a New World
Full of enthusiasm for the future

What did I learn and what impressed me working 6
years in a general hospital pathology laboratory?
 I learned lot about people in many situations
 I learned about the impacts of sickness
 And the great value of those motivated to be
healthcare professionals
 I learned from Pasteur and others - that lessons in
one field can be applied elsewhere - his great
quote
 I learned about the importance of attention to detail
and professionalism - trust and honesty
 I learned about responsibility and accountability
 I saw the value of “thinking out of the box” like
Willem Kolff
 I had my first glimmer about business - from
salesmen selling medical products to me
 I had to work with controlled costs - so learned
about expense controls

The end of Part One and answering a “call to adventure
Next time….
 Learning how to sell
 Adjusting to Corporate
Life
 Understanding the
Global Economy and
travelling the world
 Living with competition
internal and external
 Learning about
Marketing
 Beginning to understand
business finance
 Understanding
entrepreneurship
Considering aspects of “Life Balance” and dealing with
pressure
On my
way!

Professor Alan
Barrell
November 2020
Looking forward to our next meeting - see you there
Cambridge Learning Gateway

Thank You for Listening
alan@alanbarrell.com
www.camlg.com

Call to Adventure - Crossing the Threshold into a new world
 My new company Headquarters - Chicago
 Start of a 20 year career journey in Baxter Healthcare Inc
 Began in UK - Salesman
 Promotions - Regional Manager - National Sales Manager
 To Brussels - European Marketing Manager
 Back to UK Director of Marketing
 To Chicago HQ - Assistant to International President
 To South Africa to work with Joint Venture
 Across America and Worldwide Travel - South America - Asia
 Assigned to study and learn Manufacturing and Quality Control
 Return to Europe - Director North Europe including Scandinavia
 Appointed Managing Director UK, North Europe and Africa
 Studies for MBA at European Business School - INSEAD
 A life’s journey at Baxter alone
 After 20 years - another Call to Adventure - changed Industries

My passion for
Healthcare and
Medicine came
with me to
Baxter
Remember my
hero of the
1940s - Willem
Kolff
He had joined Baxter before me and was in America by the
1960s

Remember Willem Kolff’s first Drum Kidney Machine of 1942?

Baxter had invested in his technology and developed
it into a sophisticated modern system
And enabled patients with failed kidney’s to have
dialysis treatment at home like this man. There were
many other life saving products for hospital and home
use. I was highly motivated.

My new Learning Adventure - Marketing
Working in the hospital Marketing and Sales were not words I ever used
Understanding people
Customers and
Competitors

A new language for a new world
And eventually onwards to Manufacturing, Quality
Assurance, Regulatory Affairs and Human Resource
Management as a Generalist

Exchanging a lab coat for a business
suit and tie
Getting used to a life of business
meetings and negotiations and learning
to sell

I learned how difficult research and
New Product Development can be
I was eventually Chairman of the
International New Product
Committee

I began to appreciate the importance of Imagination, Innovation and
Invention to progress in any industry and the world
“Imagination is more important than Knowledge
– Knowledge is limited, Imagination encircles
the world” - Albert Einstein

Einstein’s words have remained with me
throughout my life
“An Idea is not an Invention - an Invention is not a
Product - a Product is not a Company”

“You look at things
and ask - why?
but I dream of
things that never
were and ask -
George Bernard Shaw
why not?”
And then - Entrepreneurship – what is it? I first
asked myself.
“WHY NOT” people change the world “YES
BUT” people hold things up…more “WHY
NOT PEOPLE” please step forward. You are
more likely to get funded.

Some Lessons from my 20 Baxter Years
 “Imagination is more important than Knowledge
 Research, Science and Business can work well together
 The importance of understanding Cultural differences
 Effective Communication is at the heart of best practice
Sales and Marketing
 The value of developing international understanding
 Innovation and Creativity demand significant time and
patience
 Interpersonal Skills are vital for sustained organisational
success
The Business World is tough and can be brutal
 Creating a Work-Life Balance is important but difficult
But another Call to Adventure came after
20 years to a family man with a wife and
four children

The new Call to Adventure
Changing Industries and focussing on finance….more next time

At our next meeting - more Calls to Adventure and the
importance of Entrepreneurial thinking and
development
The Value of Networks, Ecosystems and
Connectedness in Business and Academia
And “Back to the Future” From Multinationals to
start-ups

A Life’s Journey which has taken me around the
world in three phases
The concluding part of the story - continued industrial
experience and engagement in academia as well as focus on
entrepreneurship and new business creation.
 1. From Youthful Vision to a professional position in Biomedicine
 2. A “call to adventure” and a new motivation leading to a
transformation from medicine to business. Progress in
international business and experience towards Entrepreneurship
 A new “call to adventure” and conversion to an Entrepreneurial
life and Academic engagement

After 20 years at Baxter Healthcare -a new Call to Adventure
Changing Industries and focussing on rapid international
business development; moving towards entrepreneurship and
start-ups and developing a passion for China

Willett’s Business
Coding and Labelling
Machines and Consumables
For the Packaging and Printing
Industries. “Computers that print
on production lines”

Willett International Ltd
In the beginning and early days when I joined
• Late ( LAST ) to market
• No protectable I.P.
• No technology advantage – “the worst products”
• Always strapped for cash – private company
• BUT – always “independent”
• Highly entrepreneurial – profits re-invested for
growth.

Willett International Ltd
A Marketing Strategy
• Positioning, Differentiation and Branding
• “The World’s Coding Company”
• Outstanding People
• “Not another Ink Jet Company”
• Broader product Range
• Outstanding Marketing
• “The Best” technical service and support
• Focus on Training – Staff and Distributors
• Applying the knowledge and experience gained with
Baxter

Worldwide success. 14 subsidiaries
and 80 distributor partners - in 100
countries after six years

Willett - China Market Entry and Growth
 Market entry 1994 after extensive
research
 Joint Venture with local company
 Willett had 93% of equity. Alan Barrell
Chairman of the Board
 Selected Zhuhai Guangdong as location
 UK Managers established factory
 Chinese team and workforce recruited
 Replaced UK management with Chinese
after one year
 Zhuhai became Asian manufacturing
hub and regional service centre
 Established sales offices nationwide
 Company succeeded rapidly - became
biggest sales company rapidly
 The lessons learned….

Research and Preparation paid off ++++
Chinese Management and open-minded
UK leadership enabled the creation of a
Chinese Willett company
 Local market research was critical
 Partner search and selection even
more important
 Chinese Management with close
rapport with local government and
party proved invaluable
 Patience in learning and developing
trust was needed
 Investment of time and ££££ was
significant
There are no shortcuts to success!

Success factors I learned about in International Baxter
and Willett companies. Organising as companies grow.
Comprehensive elements in operations.
Vision and
Purpose
Reward &
recognition systems
Team spirit & team
building/team work
Knowledge &
learning facilitation
Technology & product
development &
management
Firm financial
management
International
marketing & business
development
Measures &
accountability
Inspired
leadership
Clear objectives
Common culture &
shared values
Good management
practices
Clear
direction

And Chinese connections changed my
life
Shanghai became a second home

Wonderful lessons about customs, culture,
politics and diplomacy in international
business
Building alliances and relationships
takes a lot of time and patience

带着创新和创业精神，连接各大洲，创造一个无国界的世界
Connecting our Universities and our Companies
China-UK –Working Together - Developing trade and
educational partnerships
Connecting across Continents – creating a World Without Borders – with INNOVATION and
ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Another “Call to Adventure” - opportunity to
engage in teaching and research
And the Willett period introduced me to Chinese networks and Universities

Appointments in a number of Chinese
Universities
University of Xiamen - my first University
Professorship and the most beautiful University
Campus I know

Chinese student groups love coming to
Cambridge

And quite often whole families come

Honoured with a Doctoral Degree
And working with Universities in UK
and across Europe too.

Later life as well as teaching -
stimulated to help turn research into
products and business
Turning R&D into products or services is
challenging and demands a holistic
approach

Which led me to focus on Product Development Evolution
and the Money Supply Chain
From Idea to Marketplace
The Commercialisation of Research and Start-Ups
Innovation combined with entrepreneurship and willingness to work
on risk businesses has become a major focus.
Have participated in 20 start-ups - and some failed. Failure is part of
positive learning how to do better.

“You look at things
and ask - why?
but I dream of
things that never
were and ask -
George Bernard Shaw
why not?”
Remember - from last time? - Entrepreneurship – what
is it?
“WHY NOT” people change the world
Entrepreneurs change the world!

A. .Bullen, Eurodigimeet, Paris, 8th May 2007
An IDEA is NOT and INVENTION
An INVENTION is NOT a PRODUCT
A PRODUCT is NOT a COMPANY
From IDEA to PRODUCT in a MARKET through a COMPANY
can be a long and difficult journey! Learning through experience
Sharing some realities about Business Start-ups

It got me into thinking about Sources Of Business Finance
Maturity
Risk
“Our Money”
Family and Friends
Fools
Business Angels
Early Stage VC
Expansion Capital
B
A
N
K
F
I
N
A
N
C
E
??
Seed Funds
Pre-IPO
Research Money from
numbers of streams
Grants for
companies – e.g.
Innovate UK, SBRI
European Union
Funds
But Entrepreneurial thinking and the internet
have changed the world – including the world of
Finance

The Developing World of Business and Enterprise Finance
“Alternative Finance”
 Impact of the Internet and Social Networks
A NEW world of communication and interaction
More “power to the people”
Impact of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Failures of Western Banking System
Crowd Funding including Peer to Peer Lending
Impact Investing
“Collaborative Capitalism”
Microfinance
“A Brave NEW WORLD!”
Some speak of “The Democratisation of
access to Finance”
And we wrote a book to help entrepreneurs
with fund raising

2nd edition
includes new
chapter on
“Future Finance”
Mandarin
language version
is best seller in
China

Prof. Alan Barrell has been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise
Promotion in the UK and with membership as Knight First Class of the Order of the
White Rose of Finland for services to Education.
And the blessings of a wonderful family.
Work - Life balance is important
Moments of pride and fulfilment

A Cambridge Award presented by a great
entrepreneur
At Clare College Cambridge with Lord Karan
Bilimoria - founder of Cobra Beer

Very important - my own family
Four married children and eight grandchildren
The picture was taken eight years ago
Older grandchildren already graduated

Closing messages pointers for the
future from what I have learned
 Think Global and be a citizen of the World
 Consider the benefits of “A World Without Borders”
 Imagine - Imagination is more important than
Knowledge
 People are the greatest resource available to us all.
Trust between people makes a huge difference
 Lifelong learning is open to all
 Entrepreneurs change the World

Consider….Your Life’s Journey
What are you
passionate
about?
How will you
“invest” your
life?
What is or
may be your
“call to
adventure”?
Do you want
an “ordinary”
life? Or
something
special?
What might
people write
about you? Or
would you
care?
How do you
measure
happiness and
fulfilment?
“We may have to give up the life
we have planned, to find and take
up the life that is waiting fore us” -
Joseph Campbell
Closing questions for YOU

The Life Journey of Professor Alan Barrell

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