SIMON Best, the man who led the commercialisation of the technology behind the world’s first cloned mammal, has joined the board of Queen’s University Belfast spin-out PathXL.
Best, who is chairman of the Edinburgh BioQuarter and recently stood down as chief executive of Oban-based biotechnology firm Aquapharm, will help grow the company, which makes internet-based computer programmess for pathologists.
As chief executive of Roslin Biomed, Best led the sale of the technology used by scientists to create Dolly the sheep, in 1996.
Google profits rise despite mobile loss
Google eked out slightly higher profits in the fourth quarter, beating analysts’ estimates, despite spending more money on developing its own brand of computers.
Profits hit $2.9 billion (£1.8bn) during the three months to 31 December, up from $2.7bn during the final months of 2011.
BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis said: “The core business is a great business and the fourth-quarter is always a time for Google to shine.”
But Gillis pointed out that Google is still losing money at its Motorola Mobility mobile phone business.
Glen to safeguard compensation
Scottish lawyer Marian Glen has been made a non-executive director for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
An Edinburgh University graduate who trained at Dundas and Wilson, Glen was general counsel at Aegon from 2009 to 2011 and prior to that was a partner at Shepherd & Wedderburn from 1994 to 2008.
She was also involved in a programme of remediation for Scottish Equitable customers.
Glen was one of two non-execs unveiled yesterday. She will start alongside Allen and Overy corporate partner Charles McKenna on 1 February.
Bending buys shares in Spaceandpeople
The chief executive of shopping centre advertising specialist Spaceandpeople has upped his stake in the Glasgow-based firm.
Matthew Bending has bought 28,500 shares at 72p each, with his £20,520 purchase taking the stake he and his wife hold in the company to 10.8 per cent.
Spaceandpeople works with shopping centres to rent out concourse areas that companies including Butlins, Nivea and Tango use to advertise their products and services.
Figures released in September showed that revenues rose by 19 per cent to £12.5 million during the six months to 30 June.