Dr Ian Barwick has been appointed Chief Operating Officer for the Life Sciences Hub Wales Ltd and is set to play a key role in making Wales the place for life sciences.
Dr Barwick, who has experience of working in Life Sciences across the academic, public and commercial sectors, will be the “face” of Life Sciences in Wales.
He joins the Hub from University College Dublin where he had wide ranging responsibility to secure new business and research in the biomedical and bio-molecular field.
Economy Minister Edwina Hart welcomed his appointment today when she announced the new Life Sciences Hub Wales Board.
The following have been appointed:
Executive Chair:
Professor Chris McGuigan, – Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Cardiff University
Board Members:
Professor Marc Clement – Executive Chairman Institute of Life Science, Swansea University
Professor Sir Chris Evans, - Chair, Excalibur Fund Managers and Arthurian Life Sciences
Dr Colin Greengrass – Management Board Life Sciences Research Network, ex Pfizer Alliances
Dr Grahame Guilford – Life Sciences Consultant, ex Amersham International
Ciaran McMahon – Regional Finance Director and Company Secretary Biomet UK Ltd and Biomet UK (Healthcare) Ltd
Dr Penny Owen – Product Planning Manager, GE Healthcare
Dr Martino Picardo – CEO of the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
The Minister said:” I should like to welcome Dr Ian Barwick as the new Chief Operating Officer of the Life Sciences Hub Wales. He has experience of working in Life Sciences across the academic, public and commercial sectors and will play a key role in establishing a thriving ecosystem for the sector in Wales.
“I am also delighted that so many distinguished and acknowledged experts in their individual fields have agreed to serve on the Board. They bring considerable experience and expertise and their support will be invaluable.
“We want to ensure Wales has one of the best environments in the world for Life Sciences innovation and the Hub is central to our long-term strategy to grow the sector to deliver at least £1 billion of extra value by 2022.”
Prof Chris McGuigan Chair of the Hub, said: “With the £100m Life Sciences Fund, the opening in July of the Life Sciences Hub Wales, and the Life Science Research Network there has never been a better time to do Life Sciences Research in Wales. The commitment of the Welsh Government and Ministers has been tremendous, and I am hugely heartened by the strength and depth of the Executive and Board that we have been able to assemble”
Dr Barwick said: “ I am delighted to be joining the Life Sciences Hub Wales company as Chief Operating Officer at such an exciting time for the sector in Wales.
“With the vision, leadership and support now available for life sciences in Wales, the Life Sciences Hub being a core element, I am confident that we can develop a vibrant and prosperous life sciences eco system.
“It will link researchers, clinicians and companies across Wales, as well as attracting companies to relocate here, and make Wales the place for life sciences.”
Following an early career in academia, Dr Barwick worked for a contract research organisation in Scotland before establishing his own consultancy company supporting formulation software for international clients.
He later joined Finance Wales to manage the spin out clusters in North West Wales and worked as Technical Director in the Research & Innovation Office of Bangor University where he was involved in the management and commercialisation of the University’s intellectual property.
The new Life Sciences Hub Wales officially opens on July 17 and will be the national and international focal point for the Life Sciences and Healthcare sectors in Wales.
Associate membership packages are available at a 50% discount up to launch date, those interested in applying for membership should email: lifesciences@wales.gsi.gov.uk ; telephone: 03000 6 03000 or go on line via: business.wales.gov.uk/lifescienceshubwales
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Professor Chris McGuigan Executive Chair
Professor Chris McGuigan is Chair of the Welsh Government Life Sciences Hub Task and Finish Group, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University and Director of the National Research Network in Health and Life Sciences as part of Sêr Cymru. He is on the boards of Synergy Pharmaceuticals and Contravir, both New York Biotech companies listed on NASDAQ and on the SAB of Nucana Biomed, an Edinburgh based company with assets in clinical trial. To date Prof McGuigan has invented 3 new agents that have reached clinical trial, with peak value of $3Bn.
Professor Sir Christopher Evans OBE Founder and Chairman of Excalibur Group, Sir Chris is a highly successful scientist and entrepreneur with numerous prestigious awards and medals for his work. He has built over 50 medical companies from scratch, many from his own ideas and inventions and floated 20 new medical businesses on stock markets in six different countries. Sir Chris has created companies worth over $6 billion employing over 4,000 scientists and built 100s of complex medical laboratories and facilities around the world and positively impacted many millions of lives with his work. He has also raised $2billion for cancer research projects. Founder of Chiroscience, Celsis, Biovex, Merlin, Vectura, Piramed and ReNeuron.
Dr Penny Owen – GE Healthcare
Penny Owen has over 20 years’ experience in the life sciences industry, working closely with Pharma/Biotech companies on drug discovery technologies. She has experience of commercialising a variety of products, from molecular biology reagents to large imaging instruments. Her current role is managing global sales and operational planning for the Life Sciences division of GE Healthcare. Penny has been a member of the Welsh Government Life Sciences Sector Panel (2011-2014) and is currently a member of the Welsh Government Life Sciences Hub Task & Finish Group. Dr Grahame Guilford – Life Sciences Consultant
Dr Guilford worked in the life science sector for 30 years with Amersham International, now GE Healthcare. He now runs a small consultancy working with universities and small companies on the commercialisation of their expertise. He has been closely involved in economic development for 15 years through the Welsh Development Agency and the Welsh Government. He is a member of the South East Wales Economic Forum, a member of the Welsh Government Life Sciences Sector Panel (2011-2014), and the Governing Council of Cardiff University. Grahame is currently a member of the Welsh Government Life Sciences Hub Task & Finish Group.
Professor Marc Clement – Executive Chairman ILS, Swansea University
Marc Clement was born in Llanelli, Wales. He graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Physics from Swansea University and a PhD in Laser Physics from Swansea University with the research undertaken at the Rutherford Laboratory. Marc then gained a fellowship from the Royal Society to study at the Centre d’Etudes Nucléaires de Saclay, in Paris. He has held several senior academic positions and is currently Executive Chairman in the Institute of Life Science at the College of Medicine, Swansea University. Marc is an entrepreneur having founded several businesses and is the named inventor of many patents in the field of medical services. Marc is currently a member of the Welsh Government Life Sciences Hub Task and Finish Group.
Dr Colin Greengrass – Ex. Pfizer Alliances; Management Board Life Sciences Research Network
Colin joined Pfizer as a Medicinal Chemist and later founded the European Strategic Alliances function at Pfizer’s research site in Sandwich. Colin was Group Director and member the PGRD Strategic Alliances global management team and had responsibility for offices in UK, France and Australia. His group evaluated, negotiated and managed research alliances and licenses with academia and biotech companies. In 2003 he re-located to St Louis (US) for one year to establish the alliances function at the recently-acquired Warner Lambert research site.
After leaving Pfizer he has held various consultancies, advising discovery stage biotechnology companies including (Connexios Pvt , (Bangalore), S Bio (Singapore), and Tigenix (Belgium), investors including Nomura Phase4Ventures, MVM and Abingworth and was a member of the SAB of CD3, a medicinal chemistry spin-out of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. He is also a full board member of the Life sciences research network of Welsh Government.
Ciaran McMahon – Regional Finance Director and Company Secretary,
Biomet UK Ltd and Biomet UK (Healthcare) Ltd.
Ciaran has worked for Biomet for over 5 years with regional responsibilities for Biomet in UK, Ireland and South Africa. Biomet are a leading US based medical device company with its UK headquarters in Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan with over 850 employees and a combined turnover of over £200m. Previously he worked as the Financial Controller of Harman Becker Automotive Systems, a first tier automotive supplier with a turnover of +£60m employing over 600 people also based in the Bridgend area. He has also worked as the Financial Controller for Pirelli Cables Ltd (Communications Division) a £250m business. Ciaran is a Fellowship member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. (FCMA)
Dr Martino Picardo – CEO of the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst Martino is the first CEO of the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. With a PhD in Biochemistry, Martino has more than 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector and is a board member of UKBI. Martino joined Amersham International in 1991 and subsequently went on to manage the R&D Technology Transfer Group, based in Cardiff, developing high throughput screening technologies for the pharmaceutical sector. Following the merger of Amersham with Pharmacia Biotech, Martino became the Science Director for the Cardiff site, looking to acquire and develop next generation technologies for the company. More recently, Martino was Managing Director of the University of Manchester Innovation Company (UMIC), a company set up by the university to manage all incubation facilities. In this role, Martino oversaw its development into a venture that housed in excess of 80 small and medium enterprises and start up companies, generating more than 500 jobs in the process. In addition to his role as CEO for Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Martino is also acting Chairman for a start-up company, SRi Forensics Ltd and has previously been on the Board of Cartesian Technologies.
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