James leads IFPMA’s work spanning global health, including the innovative pharmaceutical industry’s policy on pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and global access to medicines and vaccines.
In his previous role as Head of Corporate Government Affairs at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), James was responsible for GSK’s strategic engagement with the UK Government. He also held positions in Government Affairs and Commercial at European and global levels and led their strategy and engagement on AMR.
He was in the founding team of the AMR Action Fund and led the development of the 2016 Davos Declaration on AMR and the subsequent United Nations General Assembly Industry AMR Roadmap. He has advised on AMR policy development at the WHO, UN, EU Commission, and with national governments.
James is Chair of the AMR Industry Alliance Board and Chair of the INTREPID Alliance Board. He has also served as the Vice-Chair of Health at Business at the OECD, and as a member of the UK Life Science Strategy Board.
He has an MBA in Business from Harvard Business School as well as a Masters in Natural Sciences-Molecular and Genetic Pathology from Cambridge University.
I believe that progress requires great science, trust-based conversations, and real commitment to action.
More from James
Increasing access to medicines to support Universal Health Coverage
During the UN General Assembly this month and going forward, progress towards delivering Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will be front of stage. Achieving UHC was a commitment made as part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) when adopted in 2015 – so this year marks the half-way point in the journey towards 2030. If...
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Accelerating antiviral development is central to pandemic preparedness
As leaders and health experts from across the world gather in New York for the UN General Assembly, they are considering three issues that are critical to the future of global health and global health security. As world leaders discuss political declarations on ending tuberculosis (TB), delivering universal health coverage (UHC) and strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness...
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Progress in tackling antimicrobial resistance
Since antibiotics were discovered nearly a century ago, the rate of resistance growth is outpacing the rate at which new ones can be developed and be used against infections. If we lose this race, patient deaths will significantly increase from the current 1.2 million per year. The pharmaceutical industry recognized the impending crisis and set...
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