The Life Sciences Sector Plan and Spending Review outcome

Steve Bates OBE

Chief Executive Officer, BIA

What does your role at BIA involve?

Steve Bates is the CEO of the UK Bioindustry Association, the UK’s Trade Association for innovative life science companies with over 550 members. Steve is the visible face of the vibrant UK life sciences industry to government and media. He serves on the UK Government’s Life Sciences Council and the UK Biosecurity Leadership Council. Steve was a founder member of the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce in the Covid crisis, sitting on its steering Board alongside Kate Bingham. He is active member and former chair the International Council of Biotech Associations and has been a board member of EuropaBio since 2015.

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 is a driving force behind the scale up agenda, spearheading policy agenda to unlock UK pension fund capital into productive UK growth in life sciences. 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 joining the BIA in 2012, Steve worked for Genzyme and was advisor to the UK Government of Tony Blair working on NHS reform and the Northern Ireland peace process. He was made OBE for services to innovation in 2017 and became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science in 2020.

Dr Martin Turner

Director of Policy and External Affairs, BIA

What does your role at BIA involve?
Martin leads the BIA's policy and public affairs team, overseeing all of the BIA's policy development work, Advisory Committees and engagement with government and other stakeholders. He also supports the BIA Chair, Dan Mahony, in his role as the Government's Life Sciences Investment Envoy and leads BIA's investor relations. He is chief editor of BIA's finance reports and a regular commentator on the life sciences sector in the national media. 

Previous experience & achievements
Outside BIA, Martin serves on the Advisory Board of the Cambridge University Science Policy Exchange (CUSPE). He has over fifteen years experience in policy and public affairs and has worked at the Royal Society, the Campaign for Science and Engineering, and the Association of Medical Research Charities. He holds a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Sheffield.