Message from the Chair: ISPE 2024 - Reflecting on Another Great Year

We launched two new Communities of Practice (CoPs), with Sustainability and Artificial Intelligence joining the other active communities. There are now 22 CoPs comprising approximately 700 members who develop content for webinars, conferences, Pharmaceutical Engineering®, and guidance documents and lead discussions and collaborations on Engage.

This year, more than 300 ISPE members helped write and review guidance documents on validation and compliance of computerized GCP systems and data; unique identification of glass primary containers; 503A compounding; SMEPAC (Standardized Methodology for the Evaluation of Pharmaceutical Airborne particle emissions from Containment systems); heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; and ozone sanitization of pharmaceutical water systems.

Conferences

Our membership came together to organize and present at six conferences throughout the year. The content and subject matter is driven by you, the membership, to share knowledge and support the continuous learning and advancements that we need as an industry. In 2024, we hosted three conferences in North America and three conferences in Europe, bringing together over 5,500 conference attendees to expand their knowledge and enhance their connections. Approximately 85 volunteers across six program committees worked all year to accomplish this.

Chapters and Affiliates

The local Chapters and Affiliates did even more! Our local Chapter and Affiliate membership continues to thrive and be active. Technical sessions, cultural events, training, exhibitor events (and maybe just a few golf outings) only begin the list of activities that members organize and attend across the globe. As a professional society of over 22,000 active members, we continue to come together to innovate and share knowledge to advance the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Our global Affiliates and Chapters are committed to fostering innovation, cultural awareness, and the professional growth of future industry leaders. Here are a few 2024 highlights:

• ISPE Germany/Australia/Switzerland (D/A/CH) Affiliate hosted the inaugural Robotics Applications of the Year Awards, celebrating groundbreaking robotics technologies in laboratories and production sites, fostering industry advancement.
• ISPE Boston held its second annual Juneteenth Celebration, an enriching evening of culture, education, and networking, featuring a historian’s insights into Black history.
• ISPE Malaysia and ISPE Thailand conducted a student networking activity in Bangkok, where 30 Malaysian students toured a plant and exchanged experiences with their Thai counterparts, supported by a grant from the 2024 ISPE Affiliate/Chapter Growth Fund.
• ISPE Philippines held “Gear Up 6.0 C2C: Classroom to Career,” a pivotal career development seminar designed to bridge the gap between academia and the professional world, also made possible by a grant from the 2024 ISPE Affiliate/Chapter Growth Fund.

Grants

This year, the ISPE Foundation’s Professional Development Grants program, supported by the Moderna Foundation, enabled over 44 STEM students and Emerging Leaders to attend the 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo and the 2024 ISPE Europe Annual Conference. The program fosters professional development and promotes global health equity by providing access to knowledge and nurturing diverse talent.

Volunteers and Staff

I want to thank all the volunteers who have fulfilled leadership roles at the International, Chapter, and Affiliate levels. It has been an honor serving the past year as Chair of the International Board alongside all these dedicated leaders. I appreciate the work the Board members have done throughout the year, including being liaisons to conferences, attending local events, and leading initiatives that continue the mission and vision of ISPE. I also want to thank the dedicated and talented ISPE staff. Their tireless attention to detail in executing the plans for the year have made 2024 another successful year for ISPE.

This year, our CEO and President, Tom Hartman, made the decision to retire. The Board and staff are thankful for his efforts and leadership to advance the organization in a post-pandemic world of conferences and travel. The Board of Directors has selected an Interim President and CEO of ISPE and the ISPE Foundation, Michael L. Rutherford. Michael is thoroughly knowledgeable about ISPE, having served on the ISPE International Board of Directors since 2017 and as an ISPE member involved with GAMP® for more than 20 years. Michael has more than 36 years of experience as a pharmaceutical industry quality professional. Prior to accepting the Interim President and CEO position, he was the Immediate Past Chair of the ISPE International Board Executive Committee and Board of Directors after serving as Board Chairman 2022–2023. He has also served as a Director and Executive Committee member on the ISPE Foundation Board.

With the addition of Michael, we look forward to building upon Tom’s legacy as well as supporting the continued growth and success of ISPE and the ISPE Foundation. We now look forward to the next phase of growth and development with a new CEO and President to advance the next three-year strategic plan that will be developed by the International Board of Directors in 2025.