Europe's moment: advancing clinical research and health innovation

Rainer Becker is Director in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety. He heads the Directorate for Medical Products and Innovation, responsible amongst others for Europe’s Pharmaceutical Strategy and its follow-up initiatives such as the revision of pharmaceutical EU legislation and policy initiatives on availability of medicines. His directorate also leads the Commission’s policy work on medical devices and veterinary medicines. Prior to his current position, Rainer was for several years in charge of antitrust enforcement for pharmaceuticals and health in the Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition. Before joining the Commission, Rainer was a senior lawyer in an international law firm.

Nina Rawal is a Partner and Co-Head at Trill Impact Ventures, Europe’s leading impact investing house. Prior to her current role, she founded Emerging Health Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on affordable medicine and medical products. She was also the head of life science at the Swedish Industrial Development Fund, a €500mn venture capital fund, where she was responsible for international business development in early life science companies. Rawal has also previously served as the head of strategy and ventures at Baxter Group, formerly Gambro, a leading global medical technology company. She also sits on the boards of MedCap AB and Stockholms Sjukhem, a non-profit hospital. In recognition of her work, Rawal has been recognised among the Women’s Forum Rising Talents.

Richard Robinson is the current Executive Director and Head of European Policy and Government Affairs for Bristol Myers Squibb in Europe. An experienced government affairs professional, he leads a team engaging with European Union and national policymakers to strengthen life sciences investment and expand patient access to innovative medicines. Robinson previously served as Head of Market Access and External Affairs for the United Kingdom and Ireland, ensuring patients could benefit across diverse health systems. Before joining Bristol Myers Squibb, he worked as a public affairs consultant advising healthcare organisations including the World Hepatitis Alliance, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Pfizer and Virgin Care.

Tamsin Rose is a facilitator who was until recently a senior fellow for health at Friends of Europe. Having studied international relations, she has 25 years of experience working across the European continent from Ireland to Mongolia. A natural communicator, Tamsin has been a radio reporter, worked on press for the EU Delegation in Moscow and is currently a member of the external speaker team for the European Commission Directorate-General for Communication, describing how the EU works and key policies to visitor groups from around the world. Since 2002, she has specialised in public health and public participation issues, serving as the Secretary General of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), and providing strategic advice for health groups on how to engage successfully with the EU.

Nathalie Seigneuret is an experienced scientific project manager with over 25 years of expertise in the pharmaceutical regulatory and research sector. Since December 2021, she has been Senior Scientific Project Manager at the Innovative Health Initiative in Brussels, overseeing coordination and management of complex scientific projects. Prior to this, Nathalie spent over a decade at the Innovative Medicines Initiative, where she played a key role in driving collaborative health research programmes. She previously worked at the European Medicines Agency in London, focusing on centralised procedures for marketing authorisations, particularly in anti-infectives, and later specialised in paediatric development, leading the implementation of the EU Paediatric Regulation. With a strong regulatory background, Nathalie serves as a vital liaison on regulatory matters, combining scientific expertise with project leadership to advance innovative healthcare initiatives across Europe.