Dr John Sexton
Independent Governor  

Dr John Sexton joined the Board in April 2007 and sits on the Resources Committee.

Having gained his degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1973 from Bristol University, John went on to research vibration in machining and completed his PhD in 1977. He then took a two-year Research Assistant post for DeBeers Industrial Diamonds Division, continuing his research work into vibration in machining applications. Based upon his research, John won the 1980 Joseph Whitworth prize awarded by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, and the James Clayton Fund prize awarded by the same institute in 1982. 

Between 1979 and 1981 John worked in the Technical Centre of DeBeers. In 1983 John joined Fairey Arlon, a manufacturer of industrial filtration systems, and for the final five years of his employment there was a director of the company. John left to set up his own filtration business at the end of the 1980s, when he and two colleagues established their own company – Filters for Industry Limited – and over the course of the next 12 years developed the company into a successful manufacturer of specialised filters. 

In 2001 that company was acquired by Porvair plc and John served as Managing Director of Porvair Filtration Group from 2001 to March 2008, as well as taking a position on the Porvair plc Board during 2007. John left Porvair in April 2008 and is now an independent Consultant.

John is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He is a mentor to the SETsquared Group of Universities.