Join Us for the Launch of Life Sciences Week!

We’re excited to kick off Life Sciences Week with a dynamic launch event bringing together industry leaders, innovators, and key stakeholders. The event will feature insightful keynote speeches from top experts, engaging panel discussions on the latest trends and challenges, and valuable networking opportunities to connect with peers and potential collaborators. Whether you’re a researcher, entrepreneur, investor, or policymaker, this is your chance to be part of the conversation shaping the future of life sciences.

Alongside the main programme, an exhibition will be running throughout the day at Millennium Point, showcasing a diverse range of exhibitors who are eager to engage with delegates. This is a unique opportunity to explore new advances in the life sciences sector, discover the support available, and uncover collaborative opportunities.

Full line-up to be announced, but includes:

1) Professor Gino Martini, CEO, PHTA Ltd

Gino joined PHTA Ltd from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), where he held the role of Chief Scientist for more than three years. With extensive experience in oncology, rare and infectious diseases, and drug development, Gino also brings expertise in policy development and external advocacy to his appointment in Birmingham. An experienced academic, Gino has also held senior development and advisory positions within industry, including GSK, Roche and SmithKline Beecham.

2) John McGrath, a surgeon in Bristol and an NHS England adviser on robotic surgery

He is actively involved in promoting and implementing robotic surgery within the NHS. He chairs the NHS England robotic surgery steering committee and sits on the Royal College of Surgeons robotic and digital surgery (RADAR) group. His work focuses on expanding access to robotic surgery across the country, ensuring equitable access for all patients, and increasing the expertise of the NHS workforce in this technology.

John’s roles and contributions include:

• NHS England Advisor. John serves as an advisor to NHS England on robotic surgery, helping to develop and implement national strategies for its use.
• Robotic Surgery Steering Committee Chair. He chairs the NHS England robotic surgery steering committee, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of robotic surgery across the country. As Chair, he works closely with NICE, the Government Office for Life Sciences and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
• Surgeons RADAR Group. John is also a member of the Royal College of Surgeons RADAR group, which focuses on robotic and digital surgery. He and his colleagues are working to ensure that patients in all parts of England, including those in more deprived areas, have access to robotic surgery.
• National Clinical Lead for Urology – NHS England GIRFT Programme
• Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol and the University of Exeter
• Former Clinical Director of the Southwest Genomic Medicine Service

3) Victoria Gosling, Chair of Invictus Games

Vicky has a distinguished career spanning leadership roles in sport, the military, and business. Vicky started her career in the Royal Air Force, where she completed 21 years of service, reaching the prestigious rank of Group Captain. She went on to be Military Executive Lead for the inaugural Invictus Games in 2014 and then CEO of the 2016 Games, inspiring participation from 14 nations and over 400 athletes.

Currently, Vicky is Chief Executive of GB Snowsport, Chair of GB Surfing, Custodian of the Rugby Centurions, and a Board Director for the Jockey Club at Aintree Racecourse and Lost Shores surf resort. She also sits on the British Olympic Association Board as Urban Sports Advisor.

Beyond sport, Vicky has held senior roles at Sage Global and in FinTech, advocating for inclusion and fair finance access. Victoria’s contributions earned her an MBE in 2004 and an OBE in 2014.

Colonel Victoria Moorhouse, Commanding Officer of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine

4) Judith Stewart, Commercial Business and Economic Development Director, Health Innovation West Midlands

Commercial Business and Economic Development Director, Health Innovation West Midlands. Before this, she has spent her 25+ year career developing and delivering programmes in economic growth, employment and skills, voluntary sector and community development in the public and private sectors. She has significant experience in supporting businesses to grow, developing strategic responses to government policy and leading teams to achieve. She has also run an Arts Centre, theatre and cinema, working with local artists to support access to markets, and provided routes to £8m of European funding for organisations and businesses in Cornwall.

5) Colonel Victoria Moorhouse KHP

Colonel Vicky Moorhouse, an Army Officer and Physiotherapist, is currently the Commanding Officer of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine based with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust and the Head of Army Allied Health Professionals and Technical Trades.

Colonel Moorhouse graduated from Coventry University in 1998 and commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Physiotherapist in 1999.
In her military career, Colonel Moorhouse has served in hospital and close support medical units. She has deployed on numerous overseas exercises in Oman, Canada, Germany France, and the US. Operationally, she has deployed to Bosnia on Op PALATINE, OP BANNER in Northern Ireland and as OC Task Force Helmand Medical Squadron to Afghanistan on Op HERRICK.

In the UK, Colonel Moorhouse has served in a variety of roles, mostly in operational planning and delivery and Capability Development. Roles have included the Medical COVID lead to Chief Joint Operations in the Permanent Joint HQ and latterly as the Senior Medical Advisor to Commander Field Army. She is currently the Commanding Officer of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine based with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, and the Head of Army Allied Health Professionals and Technical Trades.

An alum of the Defence Academy, Top Flight Programme, Windsor Leadership Trust and a Fellow of the Halifax Security Forum, she is passionate about leadership and developing future leaders through coaching and mentoring. She has recently been appointed by His Majesty as a King’s Honorary Physician to the Royal Household.

6) David McIntosh, Founder and Chair of United Plasma Action

David McIntosh is a healthcare advocate and campaigner, and the founder and Chairman of United Kingdom Plasma Action (UKPA). A lifelong blood donor and former General Manager of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, he led the successful campaign for UK-donor plasma to be approved for use in life-saving medicines, with the first treatments reaching NHS hospitals in 2025. Through United Plasma Action, its international spin-off, he now works to expand access to plasma-derived medicines worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and advises the global plasma community.

With over 50 years’ experience in management, research, and business leadership across healthcare, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence, David has worked internationally in both public and private sectors. He has chaired and served on numerous professional, academic, and industry boards, and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, a Fellow of the RSA, and a member of the Institute of Health and Social Care Management. Educated at Oxford, UWS, and the LSE

7) Professor Neil Hanley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Medicine & Health at the University of Birmingham, Executive Director of Birmingham Health Partners and a Consultant Endocrinologist in the NHS

Before arriving in Birmingham, Neil was Director of Research and Innovation at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, and Vice-Dean (Research and Innovation) in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at the University of Manchester. He has also served on the Council of his UK professional body, the Society for Endocrinology, and on the Board of the International Society of Endocrinology. He is a past president of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland.

An expert in early human development and aspects of stem cell biology, Neil held personal fellowships for 16 years from Wellcome and the UK Government, plus funding from multiple UK Government Research Councils. His research outputs in leading journals have accumulated over 14,000 citations. His recent partnership with Innovate UK and industry leaders has translated collaborative discovery science into novel diagnostics for the early detection of liver disease and the launch of a start-up company.

Neil has a passion for education and training. He has authored textbooks, established academies in both Manchester and Birmingham for those embarking on their own research careers, directed the clinical Wellcome-funded PhD programme across four Russell Group universities, led the future vision of NIHR’s 2016 national review of training, and chairs the Cell Biology, Physiology, Data and Tools Early Career Advisory Group at Wellcome. At home, he is a school governor and has run a course for the last six years, helping teenagers across Macclesfield prepare for university entry into medicine, dentistry and veterinary science.

Neil recognises the critical role of innovation and engagement in Health & Life Sciences. In Manchester, he worked alongside the broader civic leadership to place industries within the university and NHS setting. He is now continuing this work on health and economic growth in the West Midlands through Birmingham Health Partners, heading up the health theme in the partnership between the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Football Club, and leading the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus as part of a comprehensive Health & Life Sciences District.

8) Dace Dimza-Jones, National Life Sciences Specialist within the UK Government’s Global Entrepreneur Programme

In this role, Dace supports internationally mobile tech entrepreneurs and their IP-rich businesses to scale and grow from a UK-based global headquarters.

Dace plays a pivotal role in attracting and increasing investment in the UK’s Life Sciences sector, helping to advance the country’s strategic ambitions in this field. She works closely with businesses, providing tailored support and guidance on establishing or expanding their UK presence. Her work includes enabling regional partnerships, connecting investors with live opportunities and industry contacts, and identifying optimal investment locations.

Through her engagement with global networks and thought leaders across regional systems, Dace leads the Life Sciences portfolio and sets the operational strategy for the UK. Her efforts are aligned with the UK’s inward investment objectives in Life Sciences and priority international markets. Dace’s expertise spans over 30 therapeutic areas across primary, secondary, and social care settings. She supports a wide range of innovators and enterprises in pharmaceuticals, MedTech, digital health, and biotechnology.

9) Dr Dhruv Parekh Acute Care Research Group at the University of Birmingham, is Medical Director of Research and Innovation at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Director of the NIHR Birmingham Clinical Research Facility, Deputy Director of the NIHR Central and North West Midlands Commercial Research Delivery Centre.

Dhruv leads a programme of research from discovery to clinical trials in critical care and respiratory medicine, leading the Acute Care Research Group at the University of Birmingham. As Medical Director of Research and Innovation at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Director of the NIHR Birmingham Clinical Research Facility, Deputy Director of the NIHR Central and North West Midlands Commerical Research Delivery Centre, he enables and oversees the delivery of a diverse portfolio of academic and industry-led research. His work involves engaging with the NHS, universities, funding and regulatory bodies, charities, and industry partners. Dhruv is an alumni of the Academy of Medical Sciences Future Leaders in Innovation, Enterprise and Research (FLIER) programme (FLIER), supported by the Government Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). He is passionate about improving healthcare with novel solutions and working across boundaries of the life sciences-sector

10) Tiffany Jones, Assistant Director Plasma Marketing and Communications at NHS Blood and Transplant.

Tiffany has been in the NHS (National Health Service) for over 25 years, joining NHS Blood and Transplant in the summer of 2023.
In the 15 years prior, she led Communications and Engagement in two large NHS teaching hospitals in the East Midlands. Her expertise is in media relations, crisis communications, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, brand management, employee engagement and culture change.

11) Virginia Castilla Llorente PhD

A scientist and a senior biotech executive with more than 20 years of experience steering research growth in both academia and business Environments.

Free to attend.