High-profile pioneer of Investing Women Angels joins board of innovation organisation

Jackie Waring, the founder of Investing Women Angels and AccelerateHER, has joined the board of “deep tech” innovation organisation CPI.

Waring, who becomes a non-executive director at CPI, is the founder and chair of AccelerateHER, an organisation that has recognised and supported thousands of female founders from Scotland and other parts of the UK.

She also pioneered Scotland’s first all-female angel investment syndicate, Investing Women Angels (IWA), in 2013 to boost gender diversity in the angel ecosystem in Scotland. Since 2015, when IWA itself began investing, the number of female investors has increased sixfold.

Waring has established herself as an expert in the investment community in Scotland across a wide range of sectors.

Jackie Waring, who becomes a non-executive director at CPI, is the founder and chair of AccelerateHER. She also pioneered Scotland’s first all-female angel investment syndicate, Investing Women Angels. Picture: Dave Charnley Photography

She said: “It’s a real honour to join the board of such a highly effective and well-regarded organisation as CPI. I look forward to working alongside the executive team and my fellow non-executive board colleagues to provide guidance, advice and support to help the organisation build on the incredible work they are doing to support business innovation across the UK.”

CPI chief executive Frank Millar added: “[Jackie] has a long and successful track record in supporting and developing innovative businesses, especially within female-founded companies. Her knowledge and breadth of enterprise experience will bring tremendous value to CPI.

“I’m looking forward to working alongside Jackie as we build a diverse social enterprise that supports industry, founders and academia to deliver innovations and advanced manufacturing solutions that make our world a better place.”

Waring joins CPI following four other new non-executive directors that were announced in March.