COVID-19 update: running a life science business - supporting staff and managing operations

Steve Bates OBE

Chief Executive Officer

What does your role at BIA involve?
Steve Bates FMed Sci OBE has been leading the UK Bioindustry Association as CEO since 2012. He currently chairs the International Council of Biotech Associations and has been a board member of EuropaBio since 2015. He sits on the UK’s Life Sciences Council. Steve is the visible face of the vibrant UK life sciences industry to government and media. Steve was a founder member of the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce in the Covid crisis, sitting on its steering Board alongside Kate Bingham.

Previous experience & achievements
Steve has championed, with government, effective industrial incentives like the Biomedical Catalyst, which have crowded in private sector investment into UK SMEs. He has forged several links for the sector across the USA, Europe and in China. In his time at the BIA, Steve has developed new member groups focused on cell and gene therapy, genomics and engineered biology. A strong advocate of partnership working, Steve champions sector collaboration with research charities and academia. Proud to lead an organisation with a diverse Board with over 40% female representation, Steve is committed to next-generation talent and developing the skills needed for the sector to flourish. Before the BIA, Steve worked for Genzyme and was an advisor to the UK Government of Tony Blair. He was made OBE for services to innovation in 2017 and became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science in 2020.

Michael Warren

Strategic Policy Advisor, BIA

Michael joined the BIA in September to lead our policy and public affairs work on Brexit. He has extensive experience spanning a wide range of senior government and communications roles, most recently as a member of the executive team at Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.

Priya Mande

Chief Operating Officer, PsiOxus Therapeutics

Priya Mande has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector, 12 of which were at Glaxo Wellcome and GlaxoSmithKline where she was most recently senior Director of R&D Business Projects. She has held roles across research, development, finance and business strategy & operations. She was previously at PowderMed responsible for delivery of the vaccine immunotherapeutic portfolio. Priya was the Vaccine Research Project Leader for Influenza at Pfizer before becoming Chief Operating Officer of Hybrid BioSystems in 2009 which then formed PsiOxus Therapeutics in 2010. She joined the PsiOxus Board of Directors in 2016. Over 9 years she has overseen the growth of PsiOxus in the UK and USA and held responsibility for various parts of the business including project management, clinical development, regulatory, quality, legal, operations, HR, finance and company secretary. Priya studied Applied Biochemistry at Brunel University London, has a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors and received her MBA with distinction from the London Business School.