On the 11th October 2018, we at Hyper Recruitment Solutions held our annual networking event at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London. We brought together 120 of our associates from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors to discuss the changes we can expect to see in quality and regulatory systems following Brexit.

On arrival, guests were given the chance to network and get to know each other. HRS founder Ricky Martin then addressed the room, welcoming the guests and outlining the purpose of the event: to acknowledge, predict and discuss changes that professionals in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries can expect before and after the UK's exit from the European Union next year.

Our host for the evening was media entrepreneur Mike Soutar, who interviewed Ricky when he was a contestant on The Apprentice - Mike did a great job of warming up the crowd with his recollections of this experience!

Our other speakers on the night were:

• Toby Underwood (RSC Accreditation and Careers Manager)
• John Johnson (VP of NSF Health Sciences)
• Bob Clay (2017 TOPRA President & Managing Director of Highbury Regulatory Science)

The keynote speeches from John Johnston and Bob Clay were followed by a Q&A, during which John, Bob and Ricky took questions from attendees.

Key Takeaways from the Event

• After initial discussion about the uncertainty that Brexit has brought to the sector, the room agreed that the pharma / biotech industries make life-saving medicines, and that this must and will continue. Ensuring this will require agility in our processes and positivity in our mindset.
  
  
• Despite changes in the EMA, the UK will remain a hub for pharma / biotech talent and this should be celebrated. We cannot be so negative as to put people off the sector.
  
  
• To support the future of the sector, we will all need to do more within our own 'outreach' programmes to inspire the next wave of STEM talent to join the sector (via schools, colleges, universities, etc).
  
  
• Companies that are being more proactive and open to change from a quality / regulatory perspective will be in a better position post-March 2019.

As you'd expect from such an illustrious industry event, attendees had plenty of time to network at the beginning and end of the evening, and when we took a survey of those who were there, the responses were very positive indeed:

• 97% of attendees rated the event as either 'excellent' or 'very good' overall
  
  
• 90% of attendees rated the speakers as either 'excellent' or 'very good'
  
  
• 90% of attendees said they would be 'extremely likely' to attend a similar HRS networking event in the future

Ricky ended the event with a positive message about everybody taking responsibility for acting as brand ambassadors for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. We must ensure that we continue to seek opportunities off the back of Brexit (as opposed to being consumed by the negatives), and remember that the sector saves lives and will continue to do so.

HRS will be running more science events in the near future to help improve knowledge and stimulate debate in areas of real interest. If you would like to be considered to speak at such an event, or if you would like to suggest a topic of interest, please contact events@hyperec.com so that we can continue to deliver relevant, useful support in a sales-free environment.

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