A leading UK health policy expert, Ed has advised at the highest levels within government, the NHS and industry. After starting his career in consultancy, he was the longest ever serving Special Adviser at the UK Department of Health & Social Care, serving as Adviser to the Health Secretary from 2013-2018. In this time Ed worked with two Prime Ministers and completed Yale University’s System Leadership Programme for NHS leaders.
Ed then moved to the UK Foreign Office as Chief of Staff to the then Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, before going back to life sciences and consultancy in 2019. Ed now leads Newmarket Strategy while providing senior counsel to a range of clients including major private equity investors, international pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and health service providers.

Blake is a globally connected commercial expert in pharma and health technologies. Until November 2022, Blake was the NHS’s chief negotiator with the pharmaceutical industry and was Interim Chief Commercial Officer and member of NHS England’s Executive Committee.

Blake led successful negotiations securing high-profile commercial deals for cutting-edge new medicines including three gene therapies, multiple oncology products and personalised medicines. He created and implemented the Commercial Framework for New Medicines and Innovative Medicines Fund to stand alongside the Cancer Drugs Fund. He delivered first of a kind innovative procurements for NHS patients such as Hepatitis C, AMR subscription model, GRAIL agreement and Inclisiran population health programmes in the UK.

Prior to joining the NHS, Blake held senior roles in the pharmaceutical industry for 25 years at Sanofi. Blake was Head of Global Commercial Operations for Sanofi’s generics company, and managed Sanofi branded innovative businesses across multiple European countries. Blake’s passion is that commercial activity is fundamental to support patient access to innovative and the most clinically effective healthcare treatments/solutions.

James is one of the UK's leading policy advisors. He has operated at the highest levels of government, including as a Minister at the Department for Health & Social Care, as Director of the No.10 Policy Unit, and as an advisor to DHSC Ministers during the COVID-19 crisis. James is driven by the twin passions of bringing life-changing health innovations to patients and growing the UK’s life science & healthtech industries. As Minister his responsibilities included implementing the Life Science Industrial Strategy, delivering a new pricing scheme with the pharmaceutical industry, chairing the National Genomics Board, and driving the digital transformation of the NHS. He was also responsible for preparing the health and social care sectors for Brexit and helping to design the post-Brexit regulatory regime. James provides senior counsel to multinationals, SMEs, investors, universities and charities across health and life sciences, with a particular focus on technology, digital and data. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Global Health Innovation where he chairs the Data, Health & Wealth programme. Outside of health, James chairs the Repairing our Social Fabric programme at the think tank Onward, is a Member of the House of Lords, and has a keen interest in education reform.

Emma Allen is an experienced professional in the Scientific Community, having previously worked in industry as a scientist with both Pfizer and GSK before transitioning to a finance role. Holding ACA and AMCT qualifications has resulted in roles of increasing responsibility in different sectors culminating as Group Controller of Finance and IT at the flagship UK Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult. Subsequently, Emma has held Finance Director and CFO roles with smaller Biotech start-ups guiding them through transformation, investment and growth.

Outside of work, Emma enjoys various sports focussed around triathlon, as well as coaching at her local triathlon club.

Claudia has 15 years’ experience helping healthcare and life science organisations to navigate the NHS. Whether it’s bringing new medicines to market or creating the conditions to drive faster and equitable uptake of effective treatments, Claudia’s specialism in strategic planning and market access helps companies better demonstrate the value of their products.  Claudia has been involved in numerous companies’ commercial and external engagement activities and furnishes organisations with highly useful, expert insight.  Outside of work, Claudia can be found exploring the countryside with her family.

Nola has over 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry over half of which was in market access working for various companies across many therapy areas that include, oncology, Neurology, Women’s Health & Dermatology. Her experience includes creating a market access function, developing a market access strategy, material development and project management of HTA processes both for NICE & SMC. Nola has extensive knowledge and experience of successfully launching new medicines into the UK as well as navigating around the NHS and its systems. Nola has recently moved over to Consultancy joining Newmarket Strategy as a Senior director where she will be offering her wealth of knowledge and experience to support clients looking to gain access and reimbursement for medicines into the NHS .

Outside of work Nola is a keen hiker and particularly likes climbing mountains.

Paul has deep expertise in health and life sciences policy, from early-stage research and development, through to market access, adoption and spread of innovation. He was previously the lead for life sciences policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and has 10 years experience working within UK government.

At TBI, he was instrumental in setting out the institute's vision for the future of UK health and care, including the role technology can play in reforming the NHS and personalising care. He has also co-authored the UK's vision for the future of clinical research delivery and worked with a range of governments to embed and grow their domestic life science sectors.

Paul is a regular speaker at health and life sciences conferences, was a member of the NICE Methods Review working group and has advised senior political figures on the future of UK health and life sciences.

Eleonora has deep expertise in digital health particularly on cutting edge technologies, like artificial intelligence, and regulation. She was previously Head of Collaborations at the NHS AI Lab and was instrumental in leading the G7’s working group on AI in healthcare. During her time at the Lab, she was responsible for the successful publication of two key reports on the evaluation of AI-enabled medical devices, and ways to develop and deploy AI-enabled medical devices across jurisdictions. She was also one of the authors the Lab’s open source AI Dictionary.

Prior to joining the NHS Transformation Directorate, she was Director of Research at Reform think tank, where she co-authored papers on AI in the NHS, the value of healthcare data, commercial models in healthcare and the regulation of data-driven technologies.

She is a member of the British Standards Institution and has sat on a few standards committees, most currently on the safe and ethical use of artificial intelligence in healthcare committee (BS30440). She is also part of One HealthTech, a grassroots community which seeks to promote diversity in healthtech.

David joined Newmarket Strategy in March 2023 after more than a decade of senior roles within the NHS. Having worked across both acute and commissioning organisations, David has extensive knowledge of healthcare policy, contracting and funding arrangements. He has in-depth understanding of the development and execution of strategic plans, and has significant experience in developing partnerships between the NHS and the independent sector. David is a visiting lecturer at King’s College London, and enjoys working with others who share a passion for transforming and improving healthcare services.

Mathilde joined Newmarket Strategy in 2025 following several years in HEOR and market access consulting. She has supported UK HTA submissions, advised on early evidence planning, and delivered value strategy projects involving payer, clinical, and internal stakeholder input across Europe.

Her experience includes facilitating cross-functional workshops, designing payer research, and supporting early launch planning across diverse therapeutic areas including oncology and rare diseases. Mathilde has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in Value in Health and Orphanet.

She holds a Master of Public Health from Columbia University in New York.

Cristina is a Senior Manager at Newmarket Strategy with deep expertise in market access and health policy. She has extensive experience supporting clients to navigate the evolving UK reimbursement and access landscape.​

Cristina excels at managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects, ensuring that life-changing therapies reach the patients who need them most. She is passionate about driving high-impact initiatives from inception to completion, with a focus on strategic alignment, timely execution, and client satisfaction.​

At Newmarket, Cristina has played a key role in developing and localizing global brand plans, crafting value propositions tailored to local market needs, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to maximize asset potential.​

Outside of work, Cristina loves eating and travelling.​

James, a policy and public affairs consultant with over seven years of experience, advises leading pharmaceutical companies, medical technology innovators, and patient charities on how to bring about change within the NHS and government. Drawing from a background in politics, James offers clients invaluable insights on the motivations of decision-makers and how to alignment with their priorities in the public interest.

Humoon is experienced in supporting pharmaceutical companies navigate the complex UK medicines commissioning landscape, including preparations for health technology assessments (HTAs) and engagement with NHS England commissioning teams. He has supported multiple NICE appraisals, including company preparations for committee meetings and appeals. Humoon holds a Master’s degree in Drug Discovery and Pharma Management from University College London.

Nooran joins Newmarket Strategy with experience in Consulting supporting pharmaceutical clients in Commercial Strategy across different therapeutic areas. During this time, Nooran helped to build launch plans in Rare Oncology and Infectious Diseases, led on competitive intelligence and supported with message testing exercises within Neurology. With experience as a Project Manager at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Nooran is passionate about improving outcomes for patients and driving innovations to address unmet needs. In her spare time Nooran can be found practicing Yoga and attempting to meditate.

Tirenioluwa is a market access and pricing specialist dedicated to accelerating the availability of innovative therapies across the UK and Europe. With a unique background as both a nurse and a health economist, she brings valuable insights into the impact of innovations on patients and healthcare systems. Tireni holds an MSc in Health Economics from the University of Galway, Ireland, and a BSc in General Nursing. With over five years of experience in market access and pricing strategy within biopharma and various healthcare settings, she is committed to driving solutions that enhance patient care and improve health outcomes.

Edward graduated with a BA in Sociology from the University of Newcastle, before going on to complete an MSc in Global Health Policy at the London School of Economics. Here he acquired a broad understanding of health policy mechanisms and economic structures, whilst also developing his skills in research and analysis. Alongside this, his academic interests have driven him to complete a Business Analytics course with Harvard Business School and an Epidemiology course with Imperial College London. Outside of work, Edward enjoys travelling with friends and exploring national parks.

Seb joined Newmarket Strategy as a Senior Consultant (Government Affairs) in November 2024, following 4 years of experience at Government Affairs and Market Access agency, PLMR Healthcomms, where he engaged with the NHS, Whitehall and Parliament to improve the uptake of innovative technologies and outcomes for patients.

Seb’s joins Newmarket vast experience across the life sciences, having supported a number of the world's largest medical device manufacturers, trade associations and industry bodies in his previous role. Working with clients who market innovations, Seb has experience of supporting strategy development, and has developed a deep understanding of Government policy and the operational aspects of NHS access and uptake across medical devices.

Prior to his time at PLMR Healthcomms, Seb held numerous roles across the development and aid sectors. Seb holds a BSc(Hons) in Politics and International Relations and an MSc International Development, both from the University of Bath, where he studied from 2016-2020.

Outside of work, Seb can be found playing lacrosse, reading a book or catching up with friends.

Jenny graduated with a BSc in Medical Sciences from the University of Leeds in 2024, earning the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence throughout all four years of her degree. During her studies, she spent a year at Griffith University in Australia, gaining a broader understanding of global healthcare systems. After joining Newmarket as an intern, Jenny now works as an analyst in the Value and Access team, where she contributes to strategic market access projects for pharmaceutical products. Outside of work, Jenny enjoys staying active through running, dancing, and going to the gym.

Nikhat is an analyst in the Government Affairs team, with a postgraduate degree in Health and International Development from LSE, and 3 years of international healthcare and life sciences consulting experience.

Iain has held senior roles driving digital health in government, the NHS and private sector over 20 years, most recently as Digital Transformation Director at NHSx until the end of 2021.

Having joined the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in 2017, Iain led the development of the digital strategy for DHSC and NHS England, before joining the leadership team of the newly formed NHSx. Iain worked on the development of the NHS App, the transformation of national screening, cancer and mental health services and was the Senior Responsible Officer for the NHS 111 Online service. Through COVID, he worked on the Covid vaccinations service, digitising social care, and led teams that created - amongst other things - the messaging service for the 2.2million clinically vulnerable people and a digital health record system for those transferred from hospital to social care.

Prior to the NHS, Iain spent 15 years in digital and technology transformation roles in the private sector, including four years as digital director at Nuffield Health, where he led the development and launch of their national online gym-joining and class-booking services, as well as digitising care pathways in Nuffield’s private hospitals.

Dr Keith Ridge CBE was the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England for nearly twenty years until his recent retirement from the NHS and the pharmaceutical register. As the country’s most senior pharmacist, he led the profession, and was the NHS’s and Government’s principal leader on pharmacy and medicines use. Keith was the professional lead on medicines policy, working alongside national policy directors over many years.  He was the clinical lead for the introduction of biosimilars to the NHS, working closely with both patient representatives and policy makers to secure both better access and value.  Keith introduced medicines optimisation into the NHS, whilst also having responsibility for digital medicines and pharmacy educational reform. He led programmes on transforming pharmacy practice in line with the NHS’s Five Year Forward View and Long Term Plan, including the development of clinical practice in community pharmacy and the introduction of clinical pharmacy into general practice. He also played a senior role in the UK’s antimicrobial resistance and influenza programmes. He was the professional lead for both securing the medicines supply chain and delivering the pharmaceutical aspects of the vaccination programme during Covid and has represented Government nationally and internationally. Keith has also led Government reviews on pharmacy professional regulation, education, medication safety and overprescribing. Prior to his national roles he was a Chief Pharmacist at major UK teaching hospitals.