Kim McAllister is a freelance business journalist who has contributed to a number of BBC shows including Radio 4’s Inside Science. She writes for newspapers across Scotland and hosts conferences across the UK plus once in Belgium, which allowed her to use her French! She lives in Edinburgh with her husband and two sons.
Mark has spent 30 years in roles within the health sector including biologicals/pharmaceuticals, medical technology and consultancy. In February 2022 Mark became Co Chair of the Life Sciences Industrial Leadership Group in Scotland, he also continues to support decision making for non-medicine technologies through membership of the Scottish Health Technology Group plus as a member of SHIP he raises the profile for the Life Sciences Sector in Scotland. Current focus for the Life Sciences ILG is the refresh of the sector strategy to drive growth and Mark is leading on this work to ensure we not only meet, but exceed, our goal of £8 Billion generated by the Scottish Life Sciences sector by 2025.
Commercially Mark Chairs the Board on Brain Health Scotland Life Sciences Limited which seeks to widen access to clinical trials in the neurodegenerative disease space. Mark is proud to be able to support the Jane Moore Trust, a charity which provides residential education for young people. Mark is Chairs ABHI Scotland and has published on healthcare resource utilization.
Professor Dominiczak is a world-leading cardiovascular scientist and clinical academic. She has published extensively in top peer-reviewed journals (over 550 publications, a h-index of 123 according to Web of Science). Between 2010 and 2020 she was Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow. She was the driving force behind the fundraising, development and delivery of the University’s clinical academic campus at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where she led a triple helix partnership between academia, the NHS, and industry to accelerate innovation, maximize patient benefits and economic growth.
Dame Anna is a member of several editorial boards and, from 2012 - 2022, was Editor-in- Chief of Hypertension, journal of the American Heart Association. Currently, she is Editor-in Chief of Precision Medicine, a new Prism journal of the Cambridge Press.
In March 2020, Anna led the establishment of Lighthouse Laboratory in Glasgow to provide rapid Covid–19 diagnostics, and then was asked to become Director of Laboratories at the UK Department of Health and Social Care to lead all 10 Lighthouse Laboratories across the UK, the role she fulfilled until 2022.
In July 2022 Professor Dominiczak was appointed as Chief Scientist (Health) for the Scottish Government, where she leads and coordinates health research and innovation, working in partnership with the NHS, academia and industry to develop rapid translation and adoption of transformative innovations for the Scottish NHS.
With a career spanning 25 years in the MedTech industry, Michelle has worked with major organisations like Tyco/Covidien/Medtronic for 16 years and Boston Scientific for the last nine. Her extensive experience covers various roles including Sales, Sales Management, Marketing, Market Development, Market Access, Health Economics, and Public Affairs. Currently, she leads Boston Scientific’s Public Affairs Team in EMEA. Michelle retrained to acquire expertise in Health Economics from the University of York and Environmental Sustainability Business Leadership from the University of Cambridge. Her deep knowledge of the UK & Ireland health system, and strong relationships with stakeholders such as the Department of Health, NHSE, NICE, and others, highlights her comprehensive understanding of the healthcare landscape. She chairs the ABHI Sustainability Group and is sits on the Board of ABHI. Additionally, she serves on the Sustainable Transition Committee at MedTech Europe and contributes to the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition.
Dr Karen Tait is an established leader in the life sciences sector in Scotland, currently serving as General Manager for Central Laboratories EMEA at IQVIA Laboratories. Based in Livingston, Karen oversees IQVIA Laboratories’ operational delivery across the regions of Europe, Middle East and Africa, ensuring central laboratory performance consistently meets customer expectations as well as implementing scientific and strategic initiatives.
With over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical drug development spanning GMP, GLP, and GCP environments and two decades specializing in esoteric clinical testing within central laboratories, Karen has played a pivotal role in advancing Scotland’s reputation for excellence in clinical research and laboratory science.
Also serving as Global Head for Laboratory Testing, Karen leads laboratory service offerings, providing technical guidance and financial oversight for clinical trial execution. Her leadership also extends to sustainability, where she drives and coordinates initiatives across the IQVIA Laboratories enterprise, reinforcing Scotland’s commitment to responsible innovation in life sciences.
Karen’s academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in Reproductive Biology from the University of Edinburgh and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biomedical Science from the University of Aberdeen. An active STEM Ambassador, Karen actively supports the development of the next generation of scientists, further strengthening Scotland’s life sciences community.
Mary Canning is a Partner with Epidarex Capital, a venture fund focusing on early stage life science opportunities in under-ventured regions of the UK and US. She has more than 20 years of experience in the commercialization of early-stage health science technologies. Prior to joining Epidarex she led commercialisation of intellectual property from a number of leading UK medical research institutes with MRC Technology (now LifeArc). Mary has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Edinburgh and undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Glasgow.
Colin was appointed Director of Economic Development within The Scottish Government in 2021. Prior to this he spent over 4 years as Director Digital, responsible for delivering Scotland's national digital strategy, including work on the digital transformation of the public sector and public services, Scotland's data strategy, digital connectivity and the IT shared services used by up to 16,000 public servants in Scotland.
Colin started his career in marketing within the packaging and chemical industries. He then joined Royal Mail, eventually becoming marketing director of the £4 billion core letters business and enjoying a spell as Assistant to the Chairman and Chief Executive of The Post Office. He first joined Scottish Government in 2003 as Deputy Director, Public Health, where he led the consultation that led to the smoking ban and then Deputy Director, Healthcare strategy and planning. Prior to joining digital, Colin Spent 4 years on secondment to Cabinet Office / MOS as Marketing Director, British Army Recruitment where he introduced an award winning online recruiting process
Colin is a Vice Chairman of the Royal Caledonian Education Trust and a former trustee of The Poppy Factory.
Jacqui is Senior Public Affairs Manager at Roche Diagnostics and Chair of ABHI Scotland working group. She has held various roles over the past 30 years in the Diagnostics industry. She is passionate about the value and role that diagnostics and medtech can play in facilitating early and accurate diagnoses leading to better treatment and management of conditions, improving patient outcomes.
Deborah joined the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, part of CPI, in 2022. She is currently the Head of Sustainability (Pharma), leading CPI’s Pharma sustainability initiatives, having held a previous role at CPI as a Grand Challenge lead, responsible for the advancement of technological innovation around continuous manufacturing within the centre.
With ~ 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry (Q-One BIOTECH Ltd, Piramal Pharma, Bioreliance, Merck), she has held various roles. From QA to Development Scientist, advancing to Head of Research and Development for a CRO/CMO specialising in Antibody Drug Conjugates. She has also held commercial roles, both within Business development and leading the Strategic Program Management team to ensure successful partnerships. Deborah has extensive CMC experience from proof-of-concept development to commercialising drug products, leading large skilled teams.
Deborah graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as well as a PhD in Glycobiology, both from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Jacqueline Barry is a senior business leader with over 20 years of experience in biologics and advanced therapies. She is passionate about supporting the translation of advanced therapies and possesses a blend of expertise across the areas of regulation, quality, Good Manufacturing Practice, science, strategy, commercial development and management.
Jacqueline holds an executive position at the CGT Catapult where she leads a team that is dedicated to developing regulatory and translational strategies for advanced therapy products, as well as working to ensure that the wider ecosystem supports the development and adoption of these therapies in the UK and beyond. She also leads a network of advanced therapy treatment centres in the UK that aim to accelerate patient access to these transformative therapies.
Paul has served as Interim Dean for the School of Life Sciences, a World-renowned centre of excellence for cellular and molecular science. The School is also one of the most impactful institutes in the UK thought our interaction with industry and our successful track record in company formation. Before this, Paul worked as the deputy head and general manager of the MRC PPU, a leading centre in understanding the signalling pathways in health and disease.
His principal personal research interests have been in the biochemistry of disease, particularly neurodegeneration. More recently, his lab has developed a strong interest in in human vitro models and their application in understanding and developing therapies for cardio-vascular and pulmonary disease. He has previously worked on a diverse range of projects including Prion chemistry and physics, CJD and other TSE’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer and diabetes.
Paul has enjoyed many teaching and development interests, especially around bio-business and helping researchers fully realise the translational potential of their work.
https://www.ppu.mrc.ac.uk/research/principal-investigator/paul-davies
Deborah is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aberdeen-based NovaBiotics, a multi-award-winning biotechnology business with a portfolio of first-in-class solutions for unmet health and personal care needs.
Deborah chairs the boards of Opportunity North East (ONE) Life Science and BioAberdeen Ltd, supporting life science sector growth across the North East, with a focus on the commercialisation of bioscience innovation and delivery of the iconic £40 m BioHub facility. Deborah is a member of the Scottish Life Sciences Industry Leadership Group, chairs the UK’s Cystic Fibrosis AMR Syndicate steering group and sits on a number of scientific advisory boards, supporting LifeArc, the Medicine’s Discovery Catapult and Innovate UK on funding initiatives for drug discovery and development in infection, antimicrobial resistance and chronic respiratory disease. Deborah recently joined the Board of Trustees of CLAN (Cancer North East Networks), was previously a board member of the BIA and one of the founding directors of the BEAM Alliance.
Deborah obtained her PhD in immunology from UCL and then worked in postdoctoral positions in internationally acclaimed laboratories in San Diego, Ghent and Aberdeen. She was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2018 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. In 2020, Deborah was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, for services to biotechnology, industry and charity. In 2022 she received an Honorary Doctor of Science from Robert Gordon University for services to science and business and in 2023 was made Honorary Professor of the University of Aberdeen’s School of Business.
Haileigh is a Senior Innovation Manager in the Scottish Government’s flagship innovation programme, CivTech. She has worked in CivTech for several years, managing the collaboration between private sector companies and public sector organisations, with a goal of solving real world problems through innovation. Prior to this, she worked as a museum curator specialising in modern science, technology, and engineering.
Professor Rebecca Goss FRSC FRSE is a pioneering organic chemist at the University of St Andrews. Her research fuses synthetic biology and chemistry to advance drug discovery. A dedicated mentor and advocate for women in science, she also co-founded X-Genix, developing disruptive technology for pharmaceutical manufacturing and innovation.
Claire Currie is a Senior Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and Chair of the Scottish Council of the Society of Radiographers. She leads curriculum innovation within radiography and wider healthcare, recently launching a postgraduate module on Artificial Intelligence for Health and Social Care Practitioners, focusing on AI applications, big data, and ethical implementation in healthcare.
Angela is VP, strategic planning for IQVIA, a human data sciences company formed through the 2016 merger of IMS Health and Quintiles.
She works with UK Government, the NHS, the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industry and Patient Organisations on pioneering collaborations that will improve NHS patient access to clinical trials, RWE studies and innovative medicines.
Angela is working to ensure the UK life sciences sector expands its footprint as a priority country for inward investment in research and medicines launch as healthcare ecosystems recover from the impact of COVID-19. She founded the Clinical Research Coalition chaired by Baroness Blackwood to embed the learning from the pandemic, the output of which became Lord Bethell’s Clinical Trial Transformation programme.
In 2018, she was nominated by Pharmaceutical Marketing Europe as one of the 30 most influential women in UK Healthcare, and in September 2019 appointed by the UK’s Chief Scientific Officer to be an Ambassador for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/wise-ambassadors/.
Angela spent a decade in pharma sales and marketing management roles with MSD and BMS, prior to staring the world’s second market access agency in 1998, which she sold to IMS Health in 2013. She is an SME in market access, rare disease and biosimilars.
Dr Abigail Lyons leads on Industry engagement. She helps companies advance the market readiness of their digital health products & services, connecting them with the right support for their stage of development. She also leads a women’s health theme, with a focus on cardiovascular health data.
Abby qualified in Immunology and Molecular Biology and her subsequent career has woven through the triple helix of industry, academia and the public sector in Scotland and the US.
She worked as a postdoc researcher at the Mayo Clinic and a product development scientist in the Cardiac Surgery division of Medtronic in Minnesota.
More recently, she was a programme manager at Scottish Enterprise where she managed complex multi-partner initiatives across a range of sectors and led collaborative teams to commercialise customer-centric technologies and spin-out investor-ready companies.
