Sharon Bamford took up the position of Founding Chief Executive of the recently rebranded UK India Business Council (UKIBC), formerly Indo British Partnership Network IBPN, in August 2007. UKIBC is a government sponsored body charged with representing business needs to enhance bilateral trade and investment between the UK and India.

Sharon founded and managed her first business, Gateside Schools, in 1986. When she sold the three Montessori schools under the Gateside Schools brand in 1993, Sharon had more than proved her management capability and business acumen. Meanwhile Sharon became a Founder and Board Member of Drilling Systems (Rigism) Limited. As Director of International Marketing she held responsibility for developing and servicing worldwide markets. Targeting emerging oil markets, Sharon developed innovative and creative marketing and PR for the start up company, positioning it amongst major oil and gas companies and greatly developing its credibility amongst peers.  During her time at the company, Sharon successfully negotiated and concluded contracts in Libya, China, Western Siberia, Vietnam, Brazil, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia.

When Drilling Systems (Rigism) Limited was successfully sold in 1995, Sharon took up the position of Head of Unit at Grampian Technology Development Unit. Her varied role included responsibility for European technology transfer; financing of new product development; supporting technology based SME’s; developing training seminars and assisting companies in sourcing and raising start-up finance.

In 1998, Sharon set up the charity, Challenges Worldwide, which places young people in gap year projects and assignments throughout South East Asia, Australia and the Pacific. After establishing the charity, Sharon was retained as an advisory board member.

From 1997 to 1999, Sharon set up and was Managing Director of Panmure Consulting Limited, a project management and consulting company.  Delivering training courses globally in the management of projects, Sharon secured and delivered contracts in countries as diverse as Dubai, Caracas, Singapore and Paris.

Combining her interest in academia and business, Sharon took up a lectureship at The Centre for Entrepreneurship, The Robert Gordon University from 1991 to 2001. As well as developing and delivering lectures in Creativity and Innovation, IPR, Business Planning, International Marketing and Technology Entrepreneurship, Sharon established the European entrepreneurship consortium, COEUR, involving universities from Germany, Poland and Portugal.

With her expertise in higher education and innovation, Sharon became Director of The Edinburgh Technopole, at the University of Edinburgh from 2001 to 2003.  Responsible for leading, managing and marketing the £100 million science park development, Sharon was also a member of the senior management team of Edinburgh Research and Innovation. Successfully developing new brands around the innovation agenda; managing the university incubator and leading feasibility study to develop a biotechnology incubator, and drawing attention of the academic community to the value of commercial activity, Sharon secured major contacts from the international business community in to the university.

Prior to taking up the position at UKIBC and recruiting the entire current staff team, Sharon was Chief Executive at The Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE), from 2003, leading a partnership of 20 Higher Education Institutes in Scotland, committed to developing enterprise and entrepreneurship amongst staff.