Judging Panel
An independent panel of recognised and expert judges, drawn from academia, business and broader related sectors will determine the winners of the Women in Pharma 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
2026 Judging Panel
Aoife Callan (Judging Coordinator)
Head of Access & External Affairs, Takeda Products Ireland Ltd.
Aoife Callan is the Head of Market Access & External Affairs at Takeda Ireland. Aoife has experience across a number of different roles within pharma, academia and the tech sector. She was recently awarded the Women in Pharma award at the Irish Pharma Industry Awards in 2024. VIEW MORE
Harriet Bennett-Lenane
Lecturer in Clinical Pharmaceutics, University College Cork
Dr. Harriet Bennett-Lenane currently works as a lecturer in Clinical Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy in University College Cork. She previously worked across different quality and regulatory roles in the pharmaceutical industry. VIEW MORE
Catriona Bradley
Executive Director, Irish Institute of Pharmacy
Dr. Catriona Bradley is a qualified pharmacist, psychologist and coach, passionate about supporting the development of people, organisations and systems. VIEW MORE
Dr. Jane English
Senior Lecturer and Principal Investigator, University College Cork
Dr. Jane English is a Senior Lecturer at University College Cork and a Principal Investigator at the Irish Centre for Maternal & Child Health Research, INFANT. Dr English’s expertise are in the area of Molecular Psychiatry and Biomarker Discovery using Proteomics and Metabolomics. Her research explores blood biomarkers and brain biology in neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, with the aim of better understanding and prediction conditions such as pre-term birth, intrauterine growth restriction, and autism. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9930-7050 VIEW MORE
Declan Kelly
VP, Global Quality, Jazz Pharmaceuticals
With over 30 years experience in Quality roles in Pharma/Biopharma, Declan has a background in Microbiology and Pharm Technology, and is a qualified QP. He is currently Global Head of Quality at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and previously held senior Quality roles at Sanofi, Alexion and Genzyme. VIEW MORE
Emma Lynch
Co-Founder & CEO, Q2MED
Emma Lynch is Co-Founder & CEO of Q2Med, an AI-driven solution addressing critical medicine shortages. With over 17 years as a Medical Director at Pfizer, Astellas, and UCB. Emma holds a PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology and an MSc in Pharmaceutical Medicine. VIEW MORE
Graham McCarthy
Commercial Director, MIAS Pharma Ltd
Graham McCarthy is Commercial Director at MIAS Pharma, a Dublin-based pharmaceutical services company specialising in Qualified Person (QP) services. He leads the company’s commercial strategy, business development, and key client relationships across international pharma and biopharma markets. VIEW MORE
Yvonne Nolan
Professor, University College Cork
Yvonne Nolan is Professor in Neuroscience at University College Cork. She is a cell, animal and translational research scientist with collaborators in food and pharma industry. VIEW MORE
Sweta Rani
Lecturer, South East Technological University
Dr. Sweta Rani is a lecturer in School of Science, SETU. She is a Zoology graduate and a Ph.D in molecular biotechnology from Dublin City University. VIEW MORE
Sreeja Varghese
Director of Medical Sciences & Therapeutic Strategy, Veeda Lifesciences
Sreeja Varghese is a senior leader with over 15 years of experience across academia, pharma, CROs, and healthcare innovation ecosystems. She combines scientific expertise with strong business acumen to drive evidence-based strategy, strengthen partnerships, and manage cross-functional portfolios. 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
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