2026 SPEAKERS

Finn Bauer is Vice President of Life Science Research & Development at Croda, where he leads a global team driving cutting-edge innovation in pharmaceutical and agricultural solutions. His work focuses on translating scientific discovery into real-world impact, advancing the frontiers of...

Dr Ian Brotherston Interim Deputy Director for Innovation Funding at Innovate UK. This role is responsible for setting the strategy, and then delivering and maximising impact across the portfolio of Innovate UK grant products. The portfolio covers Smart, New Innovators, Analysis for...

Ben is R&D lead for Data Mesh and Semantic Infrastructure at AstraZeneca he is responsible for the application of graph technology in support of Information Discovery. He is focused on delivering FAIR Data-centric architecture to create multimodal integrated data sets to enable exploration and...

I help businesses in the food, beverage, and flavour industries innovate, solve complex challenges, and bring winning products to market.As an experienced Flavourist and B2B consultant, I’ve worked with major CPG brands to develop flavours that have generated multi-million-dollar annual...

Dr Stephen Hilton is an Associate Professor at UCL School of Pharmacy, having previously worked as a Senior Lecturer and as an academic fellow at the School of Pharmacy, University of London. He previously carried out postdoctoral research at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and at UCL...

Jonathan Hirst is Professor in Computational Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. In 2020, he was awarded a Chair in Emerging Technologies by the Royal Academy of Engineering, focusing on research that will empower the development of next-generation molecules that chemical engineers and...

Pankaj Kale is a purpose-driven entrepreneur, thought leader in sustainable innovation, and the founder of AnyFeast—an AI-powered food-tech platform transforming how we cook, eat, and connect with food. With over 24 years of global experience across technology, business strategy, and product...

Sachin Khandelwal is a seasoned Strategy & Innovation Manager at Reckitt, with a proven track record of driving business growth through strategic planning and innovative solutions. With a background in business development and a keen eye for market trends, Sachin excels at identifying new...

Andrew has a background in environmental science, with experience of experimental research from his PhD assessing Chemical fate in the environment.  He has previously worked in the water industry but moved to pharmaceuticals in 2018 when he joined AstraZeneca. In that time, he has held a few...

Dr Puja Myles is Director of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), which is a UK government real-world data research service with a mission to facilitate research benefiting public health and clinical care of patients. She is a Public Health Specialist and Epidemiologist. She also leads...

Karthik is the CEO of Persist AI. A company that’s using AI x Robotics to accelerate drug formulation development. He previously received his PhD from the University of Utah, where his research focused on sustained drug delivery to the brain. Most recently he held an automation role at...

Mark Withers is a dedicated Senior Technician specializing in purchasing at King's College London. With over a decade of experience in procurement Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. His strong analytical skills and attention to detail ensure that he is able to source...