NSF Pharma Biotech Conference 2026

Magdalena Müller, Director, Life Sciences EMEA, NSF

Magdalena Müller will welcome attendees, introduce the conference theme and set the context for a day focused on quality, resilience, leadership and sustainable growth.

Dr. Peter Gough, NSF

Pharmaceutical organizations must respond to changing regulatory expectations, supply chain pressures and accelerating innovation without losing control of quality or compliance. Dr. Peter Gough will examine the forces influencing the sector and highlight the issues quality leaders should be preparing for now.

What you’ll learn:

• Which regulatory and industry developments could affect quality strategies
• How emerging risks may influence compliance and operational priorities
• Where quality leaders should focus to prepare their organizations for change

Breda Quinn, Reckitt

Quality leaders must maintain compliance and organizational alignment while supporting growth and navigating constant change. Drawing on senior leadership experience in regulated organizations, Breda Quinn will share practical approaches to keeping quality influential and effective during transformation.

You’ll gain practical insight into:

• Strengthening quality culture when priorities and resources are under pressure
• Improving cross-functional alignment and leadership engagement
• Positioning quality as an enabler of performance, change and growth

Raul Radoi, NSF

Policy changes, international trade pressures and supply chain complexity can create new risks across pharmaceutical operations. Raul Radoi will explore how developments in the wider global landscape may affect quality strategy, compliance planning and organizational resilience.

Key insights:

• How policy and trade developments can translate into operational quality risks
• Which external pressures may affect supply continuity and compliance
• How to build greater awareness of global change into business planning

Emma Ewins, Exmoor Pharma

Scaling advanced therapy operations can expose weaknesses in quality systems, governance and organizational capability. Drawing on her experience developing and leading a Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing operation, Emma Ewins will share how quality can be embedded from the outset rather than added after growth has created gaps.

Take away practical approaches for:

• Designing quality systems that can scale with the organization
• Developing workforce capability, oversight and process consistency
• Supporting innovation and growth while maintaining inspection readiness

Steve Nicolls, The Lean Orange

Complex and inefficient processes can undermine operational performance and quality outcomes. Steve Nicolls will explore how Lean thinking can help organizations simplify work, improve decision-making and create sustainable habits of continuous improvement. Steve Nicolls is listed as TBC in the working agenda.

The session will help you:

• Identify process complexity that adds risk without adding value
• Apply Lean principles to support stronger quality performance
• Embed continuous improvement into everyday operations

Featuring the Morning Speakers

Resilience can remain an abstract ambition unless it is translated into practical decisions, behaviors and operating models. The morning speakers will compare perspectives, examine implementation challenges and discuss what resilient quality leadership looks like in practice.

Discussion themes will include:

• Applying the morning’s ideas within real organizational constraints
• Overcoming common barriers to quality and operational improvement
• Connecting leadership, culture and process improvement more effectively

Catherine Kay, NSF

Many organizations understand the importance of resilience but struggle to turn it into practical improvements in performance and decision-making. Catherine Kay will explore how quality, governance and risk management can work together as strategic capabilities rather than isolated compliance activities.

Key takeaways:

• Recognize the characteristics of a more resilient organization
• Integrate quality and risk into business decision-making
• Expand the strategic influence of the quality function

Nuno Furtado, Amicus Therapeutics

Traditional quality systems may not provide the resilience organizations need during disruption and change. Drawing on Strategic Quality Management research and extensive pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience, Nuno Furtado will examine how quality can move beyond compliance and become a strategic business enabler.

You’ll explore how to:

• Secure the leadership commitment needed for strategic quality management
• Align governance, quality culture and risk-based decision-making
• Build quality frameworks that support agility and sustained performance

Marie O’Callaghan, NSF

Quality systems must do more than demonstrate compliance. They must help organizations identify risk, make better decisions and respond effectively as regulatory and business conditions change. Marie O’Callaghan will explore how quality systems can evolve to deliver greater organizational value.

Practical learning points:

• Move from reactive compliance towards proactive quality management
• Use risk and data to support stronger operational decisions
• Position the quality system as a source of business advantage

Amy Walker, 4basebio

Biotechnology companies must balance scientific innovation with the operational discipline required to scale, attract investment and meet evolving expectations. Amy Walker will share lessons from the growth of 4basebio and explore how strategic focus, quality and resilience can support long-term progress.

Lessons from the case study:

• Balance innovation with the structures needed for sustainable growth
• Maintain organizational focus while navigating uncertainty
• Build resilience into the development of an emerging biotechnology business

Industry and NSF Expert Panel

The final panel will bring together ideas from across the program and focus on what quality leaders must do next. Panellists will explore how organizations can respond to regulatory change, strengthen operational resilience and ensure quality remains relevant to future business needs.

The panel will consider:

• Which capabilities quality organizations will need in the years ahead
• How to turn conference insights into priorities for your organization
• How leaders can balance compliance, innovation, resilience and performance