The honour of being elected a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society

This week it was my great pleasure and privilege to be announced as a 2022 Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the world’s oldest and most influential scientific societies. I am delighted to be joining eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from the UK and Commonwealth who promote the Royal Society’s mission to support scientific excellence and its application for the benefit of humanity.

To be recognised for my commitment to life sciences and drug discovery is incredibly special, especially when it comes from those who have done so much to progress scientific understanding. It is incredible to look at the immense contributions that Fellows of the Society have made to scientific discovery around the world, and it is an honour and a privilege to be able to add my insights, experience and collaboration to this esteemed Fellowship.

People often ask me how I got here. I reply: hard work, quite a bit of luck, taking opportunities when they arose and not being afraid to fail, and most importantly working with the very best people and teams around the world. I’m very aware of how fortunate I am to be surrounded by so many passionate and talented scientific minds, striving to turn science into medicine, and grateful for the support, motivation and inspiration they have provided me throughout my career. As I am elected to join the Royal Society, I pledge my ongoing commitment to science and scientific discovery and to share my experience to enable our next generation of scientists.

Working at AstraZeneca over the past decade, we have increased our R&D success rates almost six-fold and launched more new medicines than ever before across a variety of diseases such as cancer, asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and COVID-19, helping to transform patient’s lives. It’s an incredible achievement, a legacy to be proud of and to build on for the future.

I believe that science has the power to change society for the better and it is an privilege to work at the forefront of scientific and medical innovation. I look forward to being part of the Royal Societies’ mission, promoting excellence in science globally.?