About us

Previously working in commissioning for University Hospitals Birmingham James moved over to market access consultancy with Bridgehead International (acquired by GfK and subsequently IPSOS), working on a variety of access projects including pricing, reimbursement, payer engagement, health economic modelling, due diligence, advisory boards, clinical trial support and payer research. Most recently James has been working as a global market access lead for Norgine, responsible for assets in both hepatology and oncology with the latter from pre-launch to launch planning and execution. James has been responsible for pricing strategy, reimbursement and HTA across Europe, HEOR strategy, payer engagement tools/ rollout, life cycle management and due diligence of potential new assets. James has led and supported on a number of successful HTA submissions in Europe. More recently James has also supported wider commercial activities, leading on brand campaign development and global marketing materials.

“I am driven by striking a fair balance between demand and supply in healthcare systems”

Previously working as a retail pharmacist in France, Yasmina moved over to market access consultancy with GfK, subsequently acquired by Ipsos. Over the years, she managed a variety of projects including pricing, reimbursement and access strategies as well as policy trackers and payer and KOL research. Her experience includes managing projects across a range of therapy and product areas including but not limited to orphan diseases, immunology, oncology, cardiovascular, vaccines and medical technology; in a large number of countries across Europe, North America, APAC, LATAM and Middle East. ​

Recent engagements include secondary and primary payer research for global pharmaceutical and biosimilar, Medtech and vaccines companies across the globe.​

Yasmina holds a PharmD from Paris Sud University and a Master’s degree in Marketing management from the ESSEC Business School. She is fluent in French and English and is conversant in Spanish and Arabic.

“I thrive on providing actionable strategic insights to our clients in order to demonstrate their assets’ added value throughout the lifecycle, whilst ensuring it meets with payer’s pricing expectations.”

Tammy brings deep perspective in strategic communication, following 18 years of experience in market access strategy and medical/economic writing across numerous therapeutic areas, product profiles and geographies encompassing Europe, UK, USA and Asia.

Specialising in value communication and having freelanced in the space as well as having long-standing senior roles at Wickenstones and the Medical Multimedia Company/Medaxial (now part of Covance), she has conceptualised and led a comprehensive range of projects for a broad spectrum of clients, including value messaging strategy/development, evidence generation, dossiers, economic models, HTA submissions and training/workshops/advisory boards/symposia.

Tammy has a First-Class Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Nottingham (UK) and a post-graduate qualification in information systems/communication.

“I am passionate about value communication, which for me encompasses all of: clever strategy, robust evidence, and clear, precise and succinct presentation.”

Most recently, Nancy completed her BSc Biochemistry degree at the University of Manchester. During her University career, she completed a literature review on the role of immune checkpoints in cancer and checkpoint inhibitors approved by the FDA for immunotherapy, and a project on intracellular protein trafficking and tethering at the Golgi. Nancy also studied abroad at Stony Brook University in New York and at Imperial College London. Here she worked with a research group at the Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, studying the molecular mechanisms of Salmonella infection which can cause both gastroenteritis and Typhoid. Gaining valuable experience in the lab, this work gave her real insight into the world of scientific research and she was able to see first-hand how scientific advancements can translate to progress in tackling human disease.

“I am excited to be a part of the work to help our clients understand the market landscape to ensure that innovative new therapies and potentially life-saving treatments are available to those who need them”

Maddy is experienced in both qualitative and quantitative research across a wide range of therapy areas, including rare diseases, oncology and haematology. Previous work has involved supporting in the development of a European launch strategy for a new gene therapy, understanding the appropriate economic modelling technique for the long-term extrapolation of overall survival, and developing insights into the European requirements for a phase III clinical development programme.

Maddy has experience in project management, most recently demonstrated through the leadership of a pro bono programme advocating for action to improve health outcomes for sickle cell and young stroke patients.

Maddy completed her BSc Biomedical sciences degree at the University of Manchester, including an industrial placement year in the Central Nervous System Diseases department at Boehringer Ingelheim.

“I am excited to use innovative market research tools in order to help patients gain faster access to potentially life-changing drugs and health technologies”

Bhakti previously worked as a dentist in India and recently completed her MSc in Health Management from City, University of London with distinction. During her masters, she became proficient in conducting qualitative research, systematic and literature reviews. She did her dissertation on ‘Psychological challenges faced by children and adolescents having diabetes’ and worked on various projects on topics including- Striking balance between pharmaceutical innovation and affordability: the key challenges for COVID-19 vaccine in terms of Health Economics, Monoclonal-Antibodies, Telehealth, Checkpoint-Inhibitors. As a part of her masters, she also prepared a consultancy report for a client on the key aspects of the launch of a health technology in Midwest USA focusing on market landscape, entry strategies, pricing, competitor analysis and potential partnerships.

“Being from a medical background and having volunteered with several NGOs, my experiences highlighted the importance, as well as spawned my interest, in providing rapid patient access to newer technologies and drugs. I look forward to working with clients to ensure that ground-breaking innovations reach the people who need them on time.”

Jake completed a BSc in Pharmacology and Physiology as well as an MSc in Drug Discovery and Pharma Management at UCL. During this time he completed literature reviews on Parkinson’s Disease and a market analysis of SGLT2 inhibitors with a keen interest in Jardiance. Understanding how segments within the global pharmaceutical market interact has always been of interest to Jake, leading him to a career in market access.

Jake takes a keen interest in neurological diseases and furthered his research on Parkinson’s Disease with his MSc thesis; “A Review of the Global Medical Cannabis Market”. He has worked on several neurological projects in Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and sleep disorders.

“I believe that as medicines become more innovative, newer market access strategies are required. I look forward to using my experience to help patients gain access to life-changing therapies.”

Doris has a background growing up in the pharmacy industry and studied pharmaceutical sciences at KU Leuven (Belgium) for two years. In Leuven, she completed her PBA in Nursing and Social Casework. She graduated first-class with projects on dementia (Belgium) and neuro-intensive care (Germany). These provided her with insights on reinventing care for the elderly and meaningful dementia approach, caregiver support and functionality as a society.

Doris dedicated her graduate degree at City, University of London, to Health Management with the ultimate goal to keep on advocating for Human Rights through her projects. She gained experience at Becton Dickinson in strategic positioning and process management coordinating patient safety audits on CAUTI and ICU infusion errors.

Doris has experience carrying out secondary and primary research and analysis to inform recommendations for life sciences companies.

“With my social casework background, I aspire to assist Lightning Health with strategic support in making better care more accessible to those who need it the most, ensuring that every pound invested generates the maximum QoL, encouraging governments to rethink the provision of care and pressure on hospital staff.”

Nick’s educational background comprises of a BSC in Biology and a Biotechnology and Enterprise MSc, both awarded at the University of Manchester. During his bachelor’s, Nick gained lab experience while investigating the effects of the parasite Trichuris muris on intestinal myofibroblast activation using fluorescent microscopy. His Masters research focussed on a bioinformatic analysis of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms within human YKL-40 gene and how these may contribute to disease conditions through alteration of the protein’s tertiary structure. This gave Nick an appreciation of the importance of both laboratory and desk-based research in uncovering scientific breakthroughs.

His Masters also had a heavy focus on the commercial aspects of the life sciences industry in the form of a business project with the aim of bringing a novel electronic biosensor to market. Everything from product design, clinical trial requirements, regulatory processes, market selection and product launch had to be reported on, culminating in a final business pitch. Nick found the process to be highly stimulating and this led him to pursue a career in market access.

“I am passionate about working at the forefront of scientific breakthroughs and am excited to see the impact I can have on the commercialisation of new medicines. I believe I will find it rewarding both intellectually but also morally, knowing that I was able to contribute to the medical access of some of the most neglected diseases.”

Charlotte has specialised in healthcare market research for over ten years. She has worked in both consultancy and academia across multiple therapeutic areas including infectious disease, chronic disease and acute illness. An experienced project manager, Charlotte has conceptualised and led a diverse portfolio of projects across a wide geographic landscape, working with a diverse range of stakeholders including key opinion leaders, clinicians, payers, market access leads, patients and carers. Charlotte has a strong background in public health and healthcare service delivery and design, with a particular focus on understanding the patient journey and experience, and identifying the optimal positioning of diagnostic tools and therapies in the patient pathway with the aim to improve patient care and outcomes. Charlotte has a PhD in Children’s Health from the University of Exeter. She is an experienced qualitative researcher, with a desire to improve patient pathways and ultimately patient outcomes.

“I am passionate about working closely with key stakeholders, particularly patients, to understand where new diagnostics or therapies can have the biggest impact on the patient pathway and outcomes. My goal is to produce evidence-based research that informs healthcare decision making with the patient at the centre of the process and solution.”

Stefania is an experienced payer and KOL recruitment professional, having spent over a decade in healthcare market access consulting.  She has extensive experience managing global payer and clinician panels for healthcare research and in developing, supporting, and implementing online, on-demand stakeholder insight technologies.  Stefania most recently worked at Market Access Transformation as a senior global payer relationship manager in New York (USA) and London (UK), and before that she was at GfK Market Access (now IPSOS) in London overseeing the payer liaison team.  Before moving into the healthcare industry, she worked in the qualitative research unit at NatCen, Britain’s largest independent social research organisation.  In Rome (Italy), Stefania worked at Consorzio GAIA S.p.A. as a project manager on international environmental cooperation projects in the Balkans and East Asia.

She earned a B.A. in International Business and a diploma in Accounting and has completed project management training.

“I am committed to connecting manufacturers with the correct payers and clinicians, producing robust research that enables patients access to leading therapies”

Alan joined the life sciences industry in 2007 following a 10-year career in Automotive Business Development.  During that time, he held positions covering sales, business finance and corporate development for organisations such as Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Porsche.  Since 2007, Alan has established himself as a leading Business Development professional across the drug development lifecycle, working in sectors from Clinical and Medical to Access, Evidence and Outcomes.  With a holistic view across multiple sectors, Alan looks to build comprehensive relationships with the goal of developing meaningful outcomes and fit for purpose research, resulting in a foundation that can be relied upon time after time.

“My loyalties are to good research, to do that I place myself in the blind spots between the research question and the client, acting as a translator and messenger to ensure the most appropriate outcomes are met”

Shavonne is a Finance Professional with many years of experience that spans across various industries. Contributing as part of the leadership team, assisting and providing rapid solutions to operational processes.

Shavonne’s bespoke hands-on approach always offers the best practise available, whilst enabling businesses to thrive and grow organically at their own pace. By providing a structurally sound accounting framework, each department can work together harmoniously while still configuring to different levels of management.

“While it’s important to hit deadlines and regiment workflows, I’m a great believer in creating a happy workforce – only then can great staff be retained to perform consistently, resulting in greater patient access to innovative health technologies.”

Charlotte is a communications professional with over 10 years pharma industry and healthcare communications experience.

Charlotte’s breadth of experience ranges from global corporate communications and crisis management to product communications, policy, patient advocacy, internal communications and employee engagement.

“I am passionate about the power of great communication and am motivated by delivering impactful programmes that benefit the most important stakeholder of all, patients”

As Chairman of Bridgehead International, a market access consultancy acquired by GfK and subsequently IPSOS, David has spent the last two decades championing an effective dialogue between industry and payers. He is concerned that innovations should find their right place in the diagnosis and treatment of patients and that benefits from research are fully realised.

“I am using my experience to establish, with my colleagues, an efficient platform for product pricing to ensure timely access for patients.”

As Founder and Director of Bridgehead International, an international pricing consultancy divested to GfK, Fiona helped clients to identify, assess and adopt innovative technologies. She uses her experience to support the development of new drugs and medical devices for the benefit of innovators, health systems and patients.

“I see a real need to improve the efficiency of collection and analysis of market access data, from rapid early insights to in-depth studies”

Peter is an experienced senior consultant with expertise across the spectrum of pharmaceutical commercial activities.

In Peter’s past experience he has been the UK Pharma General Manager (Fujisawa, now Astellas), and EU/Global Managing Director at Pharma Agencies (Grey, ESL, Solaris).

Peter has specific recent UK and EU reimbursement/market access experience across a variety of disease areas and specialises in combining the activities of multiple functions within a life sciences company.

Jim Furniss is an independent consultant advising companies on market access for pharmaceuticals in Europe, North America and the rest of the world.

Jim was a senior official in the UK Department of Health, responsible for the operation of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and for the NHS drug budget. He was also a member of the European Commission’s Pharmaceutical Pricing Transparency Committee.

Jim has subsequently spent 20 years in consultancy in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, working on a large number of pharmaceutical pricing, reimbursement and market access projects. This has included all major therapy areas, but with an emphasis on oncology and orphan drugs , including treatments for multiple myeloma – specifically lenalidomide and bortezomib.

Stuart has over thirty years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry. During this time, he has worked across sales, marketing, public affairs and market access. Stuart started his pharmaceutical career as a Regional Manager with Servier before moving to Astra (before the merger with Zeneca) where his roles included NHS Facilitator (an early market access role) and regional controller.

Stuart had a number of roles at Pfizer, starting in Sales Management before setting up the Market Access team, one of the first in the UK at the time. Stuart then moved to Pfizer’s Government Affairs team in Brussels, before joining Eli Lilly as Head of European Public Affairs. There he was responsible for a cross-functional team covering Government Affairs, Communications, Policy Development, Patient Advocacy and Corporate Responsibility.

More recently, Stuart has focussed on rare diseases. Firstly with Synageva as VP, European Market Access & Government Affairs, where he took an ultra-orphan medicine from phase III results to being ready for pricing & reimbursement submission in all major markets in nine months. He then joined Akcea as Head of Global Market Access, Pricing and Reimbursement and established the function at global and country level, prior to the launch of an ultra-orphan in mid-2019.

Stuart is now working as an Independent Consultant supporting biotech companies looking to commercialise medicines for rare diseases internationally. His work includes commercial strategy & sequencing, global market access capacity and competency development, market access due diligence and talent acquisition.

Dr Frances Macdonald has a broad background in product development, market access and commercial leadership.

Dr Macdonald was a member of the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), the Scottish HTA agency, for 7 years as the lead industry representative, sponsored by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). She chaired the joint SMC/industry user group forum, ensuring industry input and collaboration on the evolution of SMC processes and methods.

Earlier in her career, Dr Macdonald spent 7 years leading European Global Health Economic and Outcomes Research groups in Syntex (UK) followed by Roche (Basel). Within Roche, her team provided strategic advice plus operational support on health economics and pricing throughout the company, from basic research through to the commercial affiliates.

Dr Macdonald has also worked in a range of roles in clinical development, including Project Management, Clinical Pharmacology, and European Regulatory Affairs and led a Global Lifecycle team within the Roche oncology franchise. Frances also established and led the UK and Irish commercial subsidiary of Actelion as UK Managing Director. Dr Macdonald holds a PhD in Physiology from Glasgow University.

Dr Owens served as the Vice President of Medical Management and Policy at Independence Blue Cross (IBC) for 22 years with responsibilities for medical and pharmacy management, technology evaluation and medical policy.

Among his accomplishments at IBC was the development of their medical policy process with on-line access, and the launch of a coordinated care management approach to medical and pharmacy management. He was also in charge of the 2006 launch of FutureScripts, IBC’s wholly owned Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM). Forming his own consulting practice in 2007, Dr Owens provides strategic and tactical consulting services to a wide range of clients including pharmaceutical manufacturers, device manufacturers and other developers of new technology.

He has presented extensively on managed care, including at conferences of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), the National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP), and the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care. He has written 120 articles and editorials on managed care, pharmacy, and biotechnology, which have been published in American Health and Drug Benefits, The Journal of Managed Care Medicine, The American Journal of Managed Care, Journal of Managed Care and Speciality Pharmacy and Disease Management.

Dr Owens is the Past Chair of the Arthritis Foundation of Eastern PA and he was a former member of the Foundation’s Northeast Regional Board of Directors. Dr Owens was the first physician to serve (2014-2018) as a Board member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.