Oxford Biomedica boss named Executive of the Year at Annual Scrip Awards

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Nicky Godding

John Dawson, CEO at Oxford Biomedica, the leading, Oxford-headquartered gene and cell therapy group, was named Executive of the Year in the category for Companies with a market cap below $10 billion at the 16th Annual Scrip Awards 2020, which celebrate excellence in biopharma.

The Scrip Awards celebrate the essential role that the pharmaceutical, biotech and other allied industries play in improving healthcare. Its trophies span the entire range of industry activities, from new drug launches and clinical trials, to innovative deals, outsourcing and fundraising. In the current climate it’s more important than ever to recognise what has been achieved.

The award recognises Oxford Biomedica’s achievements from June 2019 up to the end of May 2020, taking into account the company’s efforts on the Lentivector® platform and subsequent partnership agreements, which more than doubled in the period from nine to nineteen, including a deal with Juno Therapeutics, a Bristol-Myers Squibb company, the extension of the commercial supply agreement with Novartis for a further five years to work on six programmes, and R&D collaboration with Santen to develop gene therapy products inherited retinal disease.

John said: “It is a huge honour to accept this award on behalf of everyone at Oxford Biomedica and this is a true testament to the dedication and hard work demonstrated by everyone at the Company. We’ve collectively won this award for our efforts on our Lentivector® platform and deals including Juno Therapeutics and the Novartis extension. This award is by far the biggest recognition that Oxford Biomedica has received for its achievements in driving gene therapy forward for patients, and as a leader in the space. Congratulations to the other nominees on their work this year, and thank you to Scrip for recognising Oxford Biomedica.”

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.