Steve Bagshaw, a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) who has been supporting the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce, has been recognised in the Queen’s 2021 New Year’s Honours list.
Bagshaw, Non-Executive Chairman of contract development and manufacturing firm Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies based in Billingham, UK, was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to the UK manufacturing and biotechnology sector.
Since April, he has been working as an industrial advisor on the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce to provide his expertise and assessment of the UK supply chain for the scale up and deployment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for the UK and the world.
Bagshaw said:
“It is meaningful that this recognition comes at a time when our UK and global biotechnology and manufacturing teams are working not only to develop and make the vaccines we all need but also the medicines, food, biochemicals, fuels and materials that will help us create a sustainable and healthy future for our planet.
“I dedicate this honour to all of you who are playing your part in research, innovation, development and manufacturing within our bioeconomy.”
Bagshaw graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK, in 1985. He has worked across numerous roles at companies including ICI, Zeneca and Avecia Biologics before becoming CEO of Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in 2014; a role he stepped back from last year.
His current roles include Non-executive Director at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI); Chair of the UK Industrial Biotechnology Forum; and Co-Chair of the UK Bioeconomy Governance Group which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the UK’s bioeconomy strategy, launched in 2018.
Bagshaw also chaired IChemE’s BioFutures Steering Committee, contributing to the BioFutures Programme report published in 2018. This set out the importance of chemical engineering careers in the bioeconomy and made recommendations for IChemE to help foster this.
In December, the UK Bioindustry Association awarded Bagshaw its lifetime achievement prize, the Peter Dunnill Award, for his contributions to the bioprocessing and biologics manufacturing sector.
IChemE President Stephen Richardson said:
“Many congratulations to Steve Bagshaw for being awarded a CBE in the 2021 New Year’s Honours. His contributions and dedication to the biochemical industry are truly outstanding. His remarkable efforts to support the scale-up and roll-out of a COVID-19 vaccine that will help protect millions of people is a wonderful example of how chemical engineering matters to everyone.
“He truly deserves this honour and I’m delighted that he has been recognised in this way by the Queen.”
Bagshaw was one of 1,239 people awarded in the 2021 New Year’s Honours.
Links
