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Professor Adam Beaumont (born August 1972) is a businessman, angel investor, trustee and digital entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of telecommunications provider aql, and Visiting Professor of Cyber Security at the University of Leeds.

Early life and education
Beaumont was state educated. He was born in Stockport, England.

He has a PhD in Physical Chemistry and a BSc in Colour and Polymer Chemistry from the University of Leeds.

Career
After completing his PhD, Beaumont began his career at age 24 with a three-year stint as the University of Leeds' youngest lecturer in physical chemistry, including quantum mechanics and thermodynamics.

He then spent some time in secure mobile communications for the Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA), an agency of the Ministry of Defence. Beaumont was involved in building the agency's first cyber teams.

Beaumont founded telecommunications platform company aql in 1998, and is the company's CEO.

In 2008, he purchased the Salem Chapel, a 1791 Grade II listed building in the heart of Leeds. Over several years, he restored the building and turned it into the main data hub in the North. The restored chapel has also served as the launch platform for many government initiatives.

He is a founder and board member of IXLeeds, the UK’s first and only fully independent internet exchange outside London.

In 2015, Beaumont founded not-for-profit investment platform NorthInvest. As an angel investor, he invests between £20,000 and £400,000 in early-stage tech companies, such as CBiS Education, Deekit and ID Health.

Beaumont is active overseas, leading the founding delegation to create UK:Estonia TechLink. More recently he led a delegation of northern business leaders on an April 2017 trade mission to San Francisco as part of the government's Northern Powerhouse initiative.

Honours and other endeavours
Beaumont was appointed Visiting Professor of Cyber Security at the University of Leeds in October 2017. He is also a governor of Leeds City College.

In June 2017, Beaumont was appointed as a Trustee of the Eden Project.

Beaumont was named International Director of the Year 2017 for Yorkshire and the North East by the Institute of Directors.