Judging Panel

An independent panel of recognised and expert judges, drawn from academia, business and broader related sectors will determine the winners of the Pharma Industry Awards.

Our focus is to deliver a balanced judging assessment from industry leaders who will bring their extensive knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise to the judging process ensuring that the winning entries are truly outstanding and worthy of receiving a trophy.

The panel is carefully selected to ensure the Awards judging process is fair and objective. The judges are bound by a strict confidentiality agreement and are required to declare any conflict of interest in entries over which they deliberate, in which case that entry will be reallocated. The integrity of this process lies at the very heart of all that we do.

A comprehensive judging process has been developed to decide the winners of the Pharma Industry Awards.

If you are interested in joining the judging panel, please email your details to our team: judges@businessriver.com

2025 Judging Panel

Matt Moran (Judging Coordinator)

CEO, Matt Moran Consulting

Matt Moran is an independent consultant working in life sciences and biopharma. Matt led BioPharmaChem Ireland for over 30 years. VIEW MORE

Alice Redmond (Judging Coordinator)

CRQO, CAI

Alice is an engineer &scientist that has worked in the Pharma Lifesciences Sector for >30 years. Alice has served on various Boards of Director and committees, inclusive of ISPE, WIP, PDA & EMEA RQHC. Alice was the 2024 recipient of the Pharma Leader Award. VIEW MORE

Michael Brennan

Senior Director Global Engineering Technology, Hollister ULC

Michael heads up the Global Engineering Technology function at Hollister. His primary responsibilities are leading process development, capital investment and continuous improvement across the company. VIEW MORE

Nuala Calnan

CEO, Biopharm Excel / Founder, The Quality Risk Management Institute (QRMi)

Dr. Nuala Calnan is a biopharmaceutical expert with experience in operations, product introduction, and manufacturing. She provides consultancy, research, and training to drive innovation in quality excellence, data governance, and cultural excellence. Nuala also leads research in collaboration with the FDA and Irish regulators on quality metrics. VIEW MORE

Rachel Carmichael

Executive Director, NSF

Rachel joined NSF in 2015 and has over 30 years experience in pharmaceutical manufacture and quality management including nearly 11 years as a GMDP Inspector for the UK Competent Authority, the MHRA. Rachel undertakes training, auditing and consultancy. VIEW MORE

Dr Patricia Ennis

OSH Consultant, OSH Consultant

Patricia is an Independent Consultant in Occupational Safety and Health and a Corporate Trainer (Self-employed). She specialises in bespoke chemical safety training. She lectured in chemistry and chemical safety at TUDublin ( full-time until 2022) and continues to contribute to their M.Sc in EHS. VIEW MORE

Catherine Giblin

Leadership Coach & Mentor, CGiblin Leadership Coaching & Mentoring

Executive & Leadership Coach, Enterprise Ireland Mentor, and (NFP) Non-Executive Director. Catherine’s cross functional executive career at Eli Lilly, leading pharmaceutical manufacturer was focused on driving site growth & transformation. VIEW MORE

John Henchion

VP for Europe, CAI, CAI

John is a 25 year plus industry professional. John is an experienced QP with a decade's experience releasing both commercial and clinical product to market. John holds a hons Degree in Chemistry from Kingston University, London and three post graduate diplomas from Trinity College Dublin and IMI/UCC VIEW MORE

Eamon Judge

Retired Executive Director - Global Engineering, Eli Lilly and Company

Eamon Judge is former Executive Director for Global Engineering at Eli Lilly, Indianapolis with responsibility for strategic manufacturing, sustainability and FM projects. Eamon has over 40 years of strategic management experience in the multinational pharmaceutical sector. VIEW MORE

Dr.Michael Kilkelly

Senior Executive EHS, Biopharmachem Ireland (Ibec)

Michael Kilkelly is a Senior Executive in Biopharmachem Ireland responsible for EHS & sustainability. He has worked in the Pharma sector for more than 25 years. He has held different roles across the full lifecycle of drug production giving him a broad sectoral experience. VIEW MORE

Sandra Lenihan

Senior Lecturer, Munster Technological University

Dr. Sandra Lenihan Senior Lecturer, Dept of Process, Energy and Transport Engineering, Munster Technological University. VIEW MORE

Anita Maguire

Professor, University College Cork

Anita Maguire is Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCC, Head of School of Chemistry and Director, UCC’s Future Pharmaceuticals. A SSPC Co-PI, Anita leads a research team in synthetic organic chemistry, which interacts extensively with the pharmaceutical sector in Ireland and internationally. VIEW MORE

Jai Prakash Mehta

Lecturer, SETU

Jai Prakash Mehta, PhD Molecular and Computational Biology specialize in Genomics and Machine Learning Technologies. His area of interest is how changes in DNA affects Human Health and Well-Being and using the information towards Personalized Medication. VIEW MORE

Una Moore

Lecturer, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dr Una Moore is a lecturer at RCSI with over 25 years in medicine regulation at the HPRA. She led quality assessments of biological medicines, represented Ireland at EMA, and holds a PhD in Medicinal Biochemistry. Her career spans regulatory, research, and clinical roles. VIEW MORE

Kieran Nolan

Associate Professor, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University

Kieran Nolan is an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical Sciences at Dublin City University. Kieran led the development team which created the undergraduate degree Chemical and has supervised/co-supervised 24 PhD students to completion. VIEW MORE

Joseph O’Shea

Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutics, University College Cork

Dr O’Shea is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutics and director of the MSc in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Systems in the School of Pharmacy, UCC. VIEW MORE

Toryn Poolman

Lecturer, University College London

Toryn Poolman is a Lecturer (Teaching) in Structural & Molecular Biology at University College London. His research background focuses on the glucocorticoid receptor, with expertise in proteomics and omics technologies including RNAseq, phospho-proteomics, and microbiome analysis. He previously held research roles at the University of Oxford and Manchester. VIEW MORE

Dr. Bernadette Whelan

Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Science, South East Technological University Waterford

Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Science and Programme Leader for levels 6, 7 & 8 programmes in Good Manufacturing Practice, and Pharmaceutical Technology. Previous experience in Quality, Technical and Operations roles in the pharmaceutical industry. VIEW MORE