Tom McKillop is a chemist and business leader who has enabled considerable advances in biomedical science. Building on his own studies in theoretical chemistry, he rapidly became involved in the development of bioscience as a research field with a wide range of potential applications.

His scientific ability and leadership skills led him to a number of senior and general management positions at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals before his appointment as CEO of AstraZeneca in 1999.

Tom’s decades of work on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry have been rewarded with a knighthood as well as Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Until 2009, he also served as Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland and a Non-Executive Director of BP, and he is currently Chairman of Evolve SA. He was President of the Science Council from 2007 to 2011.