Alan Thomas combines a background in engineering and entrepreneurship, leadership of innovation from universities, and life sciences and deeptech executive search. Alan has worked with many universities and companies across the seed, venture, and growth stages, as well as large multinational companies, in the life sciences, diagnostics, bio-tools, biodefense, and medical device industries.
Before joining Sheer Velocity, Alan was an executive recruiter for early-stage life-science and science-intensive companies at Heritage Partners. He entered the executive recruitment field after seeing a critical need for better ways to match high potential ventures with entrepreneurial talent at the seed stage. He is pioneering our Early Life Science and Deeptech practice.
Before becoming a retained search consultant, Alan had a successful two-decade career in university technology transfer and innovation leadership, including as an Associate Vice President at the University of Chicago. Alongside recruiting for privately held companies, public companies, and start-ups, he was vital in recruiting senior executives for university innovation positions. He has worked with multiple top research universities, including many Ivy League schools, and government research agencies (including DARPA and NSF) to source CEOs and other key contributors for their science-based spinouts.
Earlier in his career, Alan was the second employee and business development lead of an advanced materials start-up that raised five rounds of venture capital and went public. He began his career as a chemical engineer working for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in the UK.
Alan has a BSc(Eng) in Chemical Engineering from University College, London, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He lives in Chicago and enjoys yoga, running, cycling, sailing, kayaking, and, most recently, playing blues harmonica.