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BIA regional focus: North East
Future skills - ensuring continued success of the sector
BIA are thrilled to be returning to the North East this spring, kindly hosted by CPI. At this event, we will discuss the current need for skilled individuals across our sector, along with how companies can attract and retain talent, and what can be done to further develop the pool of excellent people so that the UK can continue to lead the life sciences into the future.
With plenty of opportunity to network over lunch and refreshments, plus a BIA and sector update and fresh developments from science organisations based in the North East, we hope you will join us to celebrate and discuss innovative life sciences in the region and beyond.
BioNow members eligble for a discount!
Kate Barclay
What does your role at BIA involve?
As an experienced Biochemical Engineer, Kate leads skills and talent programme development across STEM industries using over 30 years of experience within large pharma and small company networks. Working with BIA, she represents the sector ensuring access to the incredible talent and addressing skills gaps to start, grow and scale innovative life sciences and biotech organisations.
Previous experience & achievements
In addition to her role at BIA, Kate works as an independent consultant supporting organisations to develop their skills and talent strategies. She has oversight for quality governance of technical and professional education as IfATE Non-Executive Director and is a Board member of North Hertfordshire College. Kate holds MBA from Open University and a PhD in Bio-Chemical Engineering from UCL. As a Chartered Engineer (CEng FIChemE), she held previous senior leadership roles across diverse pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D portfolios including Solid Dose, Parenteral & Inhaled Devices.
If you could invite any scientist or entrepreneur to dinner, who would it be and why?
Rosalind Franklin, as she made contributions to the understanding of the fine molecular structures of DNA and RNA. She studied science at a time when few women attended university and led pioneering work on multiple viruses. Kate would love to know what she thinks about what we know now!
Karen Burgess
Karen works within the Human Resources team at CPI. A Learning and Development Specialist with 15 years pharmaceutical industry experience, Karen is passionate about skills and building collaborations between employers and education. In her current role as a Learning and Development Specialist at CPI, Karen supports early careers, internal workforce development, and regional skills partnerships. In addition to her experience in industry and education, Karen previously worked as Sector Skills Facilitator within a regional economic development organisation, responsible for project management of strategic skills programmes and regional industry stakeholder management. CPI catalyses the adoption of advanced technologies and manufacturing solutions to benefit people, places, and our planet. We’re a pioneering social enterprise that accelerates the development, scale-up and commercialisation of smart AgriFoodTech, energy storage, HealthTech, materials, and pharma innovations. Through our incredible innovation experts and infrastructure, we look beyond the obvious to transform healthcare and drive towards a sustainable future. As a trusted partner of industry, academia, government, entrepreneurs, and the investment community, we connect the dots within the innovation ecosystem to make great ideas and inventions a reality.
Nick Gardiner
What does your role at BIA involve?
Nick is responsible for overseeing the BIA’s operations, ensuring that all activities are professionally delivered to the highest standard and providing an organisation-wide operational perspective to and support for, activities and projects. He has specific responsibility for office management/facilities; financial systems/processes and credit control; the people, skills and talent workstream; company secretariat; human resources and IT/telecoms.
Previous experience & achievements
Nick has extensive industry and not-for-profit management experience. Prior to this role, he ran the Clinical Laboratory Division of Lab21. This involved providing specialist laboratory services to the healthcare, pharmaceutical and clinical trials markets. In that role, Nick had management responsibility for all operations, income, laboratory and customer services and client liaison across the Group. He also has specific and extensive experience of diagnostic testing within the HIV and HCV disease areas. This was gained through building Delphic Diagnostics into a one-stop shop for clinicians, enabling more effective patient monitoring and subsequent treatment options. Nick also has broad management experience within the not-for-profit and charity sector, working for a trade body representing and building the profile of the business communication industry and prior to that working for the world’s oldest active society devoted to natural history.
If you could invite any scientist or entrepreneur to dinner, who would it be?
Alfred Russel Wallace, a naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator, independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection. He travelled the world and I would imagine had some excellent stories to tell.
Charles Heise
Charles Heise is Associate Director in the Bioprocessing Strategy & Development group at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies working on developing connected, integrated processes. He has over 15 years of experience in the biologics industry leading the development of cGMP processes for clinical and commercial recombinant protein manufacture and academic research collaborations. He is co-inventor of the award winning SymphonXTM purification skid and the downstream technical lead for FDB’s continuous biomanufacturing platform, MaruXTM. Charles graduated in the UK from the University of Oxford and obtained his doctorate from the University of York.
Debbie Johnson
Debbie Johnson is Head of Innovation Talent & Skills at Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation Agency. Debbie is focused on two goals: supporting innovative businesses in accessing and developing talent to realise the UK’s innovation ambition and ensuring that the education and skills system is supported in responding to the changes created by our innovation to maximise its potential for our economy and society. Prior to joining Innovate UK in 2020, Debbie was involved in the design and implementation of collaboratively funded, business-led skills programmes in the construction sector.
Daniel Peters
Dr. Daniel Peters is co-founder and CEO of MarraBio Ltd., a spin-out company from Newcastle University focused on making engineered bacterial proteins that provide easy to use, highly stable mimics of the bioactive factors needed to grow cells outside the body. Daniel completed his PhD in structural biology at the University of York in 2014 before moving to Newcastle University in 2015 to work on the engineering and characterisation of Caf1 proteins with Prof. Jeremy Lakey in 2015. He then explored options for commercialising the technology through the ICURe programme as entrepreneurial lead, before joining the company upon its foundation. Daniel’s main research interest is in the design and engineering of proteins, and how these can be used to solve manufacturing problems in the production of cells for food and therapeutic uses.
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RNA WORKSHOP - INVITE ONLY
10:30 – 11:00 Attendee arrival (invite only)
11:00 – 12:00 RNA workshop
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OPEN TO ALL
12:00 – 13:00 Networking lunch
13:00 – 14:00 Panel discussion and Q&A
14:00 – 15:30 Networking reception
BIA members: FREE
BIA Associate members: £45 +VAT
Non-members: £60 +VAT
Emerging companies (non-member): Please contact the BIA Membership team for a discounted non-member rate.
By registering for this event you accept our Terms & Conditions.
In case of any issues registering for the event, please contact the BIA Events team.
Thank you to our Event Host
Event Partner
BIA Annual Supporters
