Iain Gillespie
Iain Gillespie is Head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Biotechnology Division, a post he has held since June 2001. The Biotechnology Division works with the 30 OECD member countries to develop international consensus on the use of biotechnology as a driver for sustainable growth and development and the delivery of a more resilient biobased economy. The focus of OECD work is on health-related and other innovation in the bioindustries, human genetics and genomics, IPRs, biosecurity, metrics and other infrastructure issues, and on supply/ demand side policy integration in biotechnology. Iain worked in academia (UK and Middle East) and in the biotechnology industry (Agricultural Genetics Co Ltd, Cambridge) before joining government service in 1991. He held policy posts in the UK Departments of the Environment, of Health and of Trade and Industry as well as in the Cabinet Office where he ran a policy unit in support of the UK’s Chief Scientific Advisor (the now Lord May). Just before joining OECD, Iain ran the highly successful Pharmaceutical Industry Competitiveness Task Force (PICTF), reporting to the Prime Minister. Iain is a scientist by training with a PhD in Microbiology. He also holds an MA in International Relations and European Politics and an MBA. He was educated at the Universities of Edinburgh, London and Kent at Canterbury, as well as the Open University in the UK, and prior to that at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh. He is married with one small son.