George Freeman

Education

He was educated at Radley College and Girton College, Cambridge, graduating with a degree in Geography in 1989.

Career

In July 2014 he was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Life Sciences. This role is shared between the Department of Health and Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. Before entering Parliament, Freeman had a 15-year career in biomedical venture capital.

He spent most of his career in and around the Cambridge cluster supporting high tech growth businesses.

Straight after university, Freeman worked in Westminster as a lobbyist for the National Farmers Union. In 2005, he was added to the Conservative A-List and was selected for Mid Norfolk in October 2006.

He was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Climate Change, Greg Barker Member of Parliament, in the Coalition Government’s first tranche of appointments. In July 2011 the Prime Minister, Rt.

Honorary, David Cameron Member of Parliament and Minister for Universities and Science, Rt.

Honorary David Willetts Member of Parliament, appointed Freeman as Government Life Science Advisor. In 2014, he was appointed Minister for Life Sciences at the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ( Bank for International Settlements).

He has spoken and written widely on the potential of United Kingdom science, technology and entrepreneurship to lead a sustainable economic recovery.

Freeman enjoys sailing on the Norfolk coast, walking, rowing, wildfowling, and going to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford to watch the Spitfires.

Achievements

• Foreign the seven years prior to being elected he was Founder and Chairman of the specialist translational medicine consultancy 4D Biomedical Limited. Prior to that he was Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge start-up Amedis Pharmaceuticals, and before that the Director of Early Stage Ventures at Merlin Biosciences. Freeman stood as Conservative Parliamentary Candidate in Stevenage in the 2005 general election, being defeated by incumbent Labour Member of Parliament Barbara Follett though achieving a 6.4% swing towards the Conservatives compared to 5% swing nationally. Freeman is a co-founder of the 2020 Group of Conservative MPs, where he chairs the Innovation Economy Commission. In March 2015, Freeman was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award under the Business Driver category for his pioneering work on The Norfolk Way campaign to inspire entrepreneurial activity and raise aspirations in the countryside.

Politics

Shortly after entering Parliament George Freeman was elected Chairman of the All Party Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture.

Membership

55th United Kingdom Parliament. 56th United Kingdom Parliament]

He is the current Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Mid Norfolk, and was first elected at the 2010 general election, replacing the constituency"s previous incumbent, Keith Simpson who had decided to contest the neighbouring Broadland constituency instead.