Following his keynote address at the inaugural York and North Yorkshire Life Sciences Forum at York University’s Biotech campus, Chris Allen, CEO of the Broughton Group, sat down with European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer to expand on the conversation.
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In your keynote, you spoke about Broughton’s role as a centre of excellence. What responsibility comes with being seen as both a regional and national leader in the life sciences sector?
Being recognised as a centre of excellence carries a responsibility that extends well beyond technical capability. In heavily regulated industries such as ours, our work must demonstrate impartiality, accuracy, and transparency at every stage. As a service organisation, our primary obligation is to provide clients with robust scientific evidence that supports their ability to enter or remain on the market responsibly. Ultimately, leadership in this sector means ensuring our decisions and our data contribute positively to patient safety and industry credibility.
You touched on the unique position CROs occupy within the ecosystem. How can organisations like Broughton act as a bridge between innovation, regulation and real-world patient impact?
CROs can play a pivotal role in connecting scientific ambition with regulatory reality, but this only works when the relationship is built on partnership rather than a transactional data-for-fee service. At Broughton, we operate both models, yet the most successful outcomes arise when we are involved from early concept development through to post-market activities. By acting as a partner and understanding the product, the intended regulatory pathway, and the broader commercial objectives, an experienced CRO can help identify and mitigate potential pitfalls.
You highlighted the momentum building across York and North Yorkshire. What is it about the region that makes it such a compelling environment for life sciences growth right now?
York and North Yorkshire offer a combination of practical advantages. The region benefits from outstanding academic institutions, including the universities of York, Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield, which provide a strong pipeline of scientific capability. Add to this the strength of networks such as Bionow and the region’s connectivity, including direct train links from York to London, and you have an environment that supports both innovation and scalability. It is a region with ambition, and importantly, the infrastructure to deliver on it. Additionally, the cost of living remains comparatively favourable, which helps attract and retain strong scientific talent while supporting a higher quality of life.
Looking ahead, and building on the themes you raised in your keynote, what skills and talent do you see as most critical for the next phase of growth in the UK life sciences sector?
Technical excellence will always be essential, particularly the development of high-quality scientists who understand both the rigour and pace of modern life sciences. But some of the most pressing capability gaps sit beyond pure science. Skills in effective communication, people leadership and cross-disciplinary collaboration are increasingly important, yet they are rarely embedded early in scientific training. Equally, we need people with the ability to think beyond traditional models of disease management. As prevention and early intervention gain prominence, the sector will require individuals who can apply scientific thinking with an open, adaptable mindset aligned to the future needs of patients and healthcare systems.
Events like today’s forum were a recurring theme in your talk. How can the York and North Yorkshire Life Sciences Forum help turn regional ambition into tangible outcomes?
Events like this create the conditions for progress by encouraging people to step out of their silos and build meaningful connections. Over Broughton’s own journey, networking has played a crucial role, whether in finding new clients, identifying collaborators or simply gaining the advice needed to navigate complex challenges. The region has exceptional talent, both within the Bionow community and across Yorkshire. By bringing together innovators, investors, academics and service providers, the forum accelerates the exchange of ideas and helps convert ambition into actionable partnerships. Collaboration of this kind is often the catalyst for real, measurable impact.
Finally, after sharing your vision, if there’s one message you hope delegates take away from your keynote, what would it be?
The message I hope resonates most strongly is the importance of combining passion, belief and commercial clarity which enables organisations to compete at their best. Long term success comes from maintaining a commercially sound strategy and being willing to adapt when the landscape shifts. Change should never be feared, but neither should we lose focus. If delegates leave with a renewed sense of purpose and the conviction to pursue excellence without compromise, then the session has achieved what I hoped it would.