Speakers

Chris is a practising NHS Consultant Physician at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and a visiting professor at Gresham College. Chris is an epidemiologist and has undertaken research and worked as a doctor in the UK, Africa and Asia. He was Professor of Public and International Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) before becoming CMO and remains an honorary professor. Chris was the interim Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) from December 2024 to June 2025. He was Chief Scientific Adviser for DHSC from January 2016 to August 2021, with overall responsibility for the department’s research and development, including being head of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the government’s major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research. Chris was the interim Government Chief Scientific Adviser from 2017 to 2018, including during the Novichok poisonings. Before that, he was the Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for International Development (DFID), which included leading technical work on the West Africa Ebola outbreak and other international emergencies.

Professor Rosenberg was appointed as Chair of Wessex Health Partners in April 2023. He holds the Peter Scheuer Chair in Liver Diseases at University College London and is a clinical academic physician working at the interface between universities and the NHS, with strong links to government, the third sector and industry. While working with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), he pioneered multi-stakeholder work uniting national higher education institutions, NHS, third sector, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry partners and overseeing collaborative working to further the life sciences ‘health and wealth’ agenda. He also has extensive experience of leading cross-agency working between local councils, public health, primary and secondary care with public and patient representation to develop new pathways of care for patients with long-term conditions.

Peter helped to write the National Cancer Plan for England: Delivering World Class Cancer Care, published in February 2026. He was previously Chief Clinician for Cancer Research UK from 2008 to 2017 and set up the UK’s first dedicated Centre for Cancer Immunology in Southampton. His research interests are in applied immunology and immunotherapy; lymphoma biology and precision medicine, and clinical trials. He has been the Chief Investigator for trials ranging from first in human novel antibody therapies to international randomised studies. He is currently researching novel biomarkers to detect lung cancer, and leads the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launchpad, aimed at accelerating the next generation of cancer immune treatments.

Nic Werran is a leader in integrated place development. In 2016, he co-founded Breaking Barriers Innovations(www.bbi.uk.com) with Lord Patel of Bradford and Dr Jon Bashford to develop practical, scalable partnership models that tackle entrenched inequalities through collaboration across public services, employers and communities. Since 2004, Nic has worked on regeneration and decentralisation initiatives across the UK, supporting major government relocations including the Darlington Economic Campus, the Great British Railways HQ in Derby, and MHCLG in Wolverhampton. His work focuses on aligning national policy, anchor institutions and local labour markets to generate long-term economic and social impact. Between 2019 and 2021, he worked with local partners to pioneer the Clacton Place Programme, developing nationally recognised social value initiatives designed to strengthen outcomes for coastal communities. In 2024, he helped establish the Coastal Navigators Network with NHS England’s Inequalities Directorate, bringing together coastal systems to address economic inactivity, workforce participation and health inequalities. Nic graduated in History from King’s College London and continues to focus on supporting practical, spreadable models that connect employment, health and place-based growth.

Christine is the Managing Director of Wessex Health Partners. She has extensive knowledge of the UK research landscape and a strong track record of leading high performing research infrastructure working across health systems, higher education institutions, local authorities and the commercial sector. Government and industry partnerships include the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and Royal Colleges. In 2017, Christine founded UKRD, an influential community representing R&D Directors and senior leaders, and was appointed to the Ministerial Industry Steering Group for Commercial Research. In July 2023, Christine was made a fellow of University of Southampton in recognition of her long-standing service to the region.