New Board Chair and Honor Awards Announced at the 2023 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo
Marcy Sanford
During the 2023 ISPE Membership Meeting and Awards Lunch, Michael Rutherford, the outgoing Chair of the 2022-2023 ISPE International Board of Directors, officially handed over the gavel to Scott Billman. As the new Chair for the 2023-2024 term, Scott Billman, Vice President, Engineering, Pharmaceutical Services, Thermo Fisher Scientific, will lead the board. Rutherford expressed his gratitude to the outgoing board members Jörg Zimmermann, Vice President Vetter Development Service, External Affairs, Vetter Pharma Fertigung GmbH & Co KG and Zen-Zen Yen, Head of Engineering, Bayer AG, for their outstanding service and dedication, as their terms have come to a close. Additionally, the highly esteemed 2023 ISPE International Honor Award recipients were announced during this event.
The Year in Review
Saying that ISPE was in a strong position for growth, Rutherford gave an overview of ISPE’s accomplishments in 2023 which include a refreshed website that allows members to more easily access their benefits, increased engagement with emerging leaders, the formation of a new student and recent graduate grant program, the implementation of the 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, and continued execution of One ISPE. “The goal of One ISPE is to make sure that we are connecting with all the affiliates and chapters. In 2023 we added our fortieth chapter – the Southwest Chapter, who are hosting this event.”
Shaping the Future of the Pharmaceutical Industry
Thomas Hartman, President and CEO of ISPE, welcomed attendees to the Membership Meeting and spoke about the ways ISPE members are helping to shape the future of the pharmaceutical industry adding, “All of our accomplishments are thanks to you.”
“ISPE membership has increased nearly 30% from mid-2020. ISPE now has more than 21,000 members in over 120 countries and our goal is to have 25,000 by 2025. This year we increased the number of communities of practice (CoPs) from 19 to 22 and we have plans to create an additional three focusing on AI, sustainability, and pharma compounding. We have increased the number of guidance documents we publish. Conference attendance is increasing in numbers when compared to pre-pandemic levels. We have a very active, productive, and industry-relevant regulatory steering council. It is all thanks to you, our subject matter experts. You are the lifeblood of ISPE.”
Jeffrey A. Biskup, PE, ISPE International Board of Directors, Treasurer, 2022-2023, Executive Board Chairman/Co-Founder, CRB, presented ISPE’s financial report and Antonio Moreira, ISPE Foundation Board Chair and Vice Provost, Academic Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, gave an update on the ISPE Foundation.
Billman introduced the 2023-2024 ISPE International Board of Directors and presented ISPE’s goals for 2024, “Looking ahead we want to engage more students and emerging leaders, expand our global reach through engagement and inclusion, continue to drive technical innovation through CoPs, and continue to have more interaction with global regulatory experts. We are committed to continue to evolve and grow ISPE, to deliver value to our members, and celebrate the successes of our industry.”
The ISPE International Honor Awards provide the opportunity for all of us to recognize and celebrate the dedicated professionals who are volunteering countless hours to support ISPE in its mission. hartman, Rutherford, and Billman distributed the 2023 ISPE International Honor Awards to the following recipients:
2022 PE Roger F. Sherwood Article of the Year Award
(awarded for content published during the previous calendar year)
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