Outstanding talent and leadership across Ireland’s pharmaceutical and life sciences sector was celebrated at the Women in Pharma Awards 2026, with 20 trophies presented at a gala ceremony hosted by Fiona Buckley at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, Dublin. Now in its second year, the awards programme attracted 63 entries and drew over 200 industry leaders to the event, underlining the vital role women play in driving Ireland's world-class biopharma economy.
Celebrating Leadership, Innovation, and Mentorship
Judging co-ordinator Aoife Callan, Head of Access & External Affairs at Takeda Products Ireland, noted that the 2026 entries demonstrated an exceptionally high level of leadership, impact, and achievement across roles delivering for patients, scientific research, and operational excellence.
"As well as recognising individual excellence, these awards provide a platform for fostering mentorship and collaboration while strengthening professional networks that champion innovation across the sector."
— Aoife Callan, Awards Judging Co-ordinator & Head of Access, Takeda Products Ireland
The overall leader award went to Emma Kilgallon, HR Director at West Pharmaceutical Services, who also collected the HR Leadership trophy. Reflecting on the importance of visibility in a historically male-dominated industry, Kilgallon emphasized: "If women aren’t visible in spaces like this, we’re not seen and we’re not given the platform."
The Senior Leadership (Contract Services) honour went to Dr. Gemma Robinson, Founder and Managing Director of Acorn Regulatory Consulting Services in Tipperary, highlighting the rapid growth of Irish regulatory consultancies supporting global drug filings.
⚡ Clinical Trials Breakthrough: Cancer Trials Ireland
The start-up team at Cancer Trials Ireland was named Best Female-Led Team. Established in December 2024, the team achieved an unprecedented 46% reduction in contract timelines and a 26% reduction in site activation times, accelerating patient access to novel oncology therapies across Irish hospitals.
Industry Recognition Across Leading Multinationals & Indigenous Pioneers
The awards recognized excellence across both global biopharma giants (AbbVie, Novartis, Takeda, Icon, BioMarin, Eli Lilly) and specialized service providers:
- Legacy Award: Presented to Jean Casey of Eli Lilly, acknowledging her lifetime contribution to Irish bioprocessing. Casey highlighted that Eli Lilly’s leadership team in Ireland is now 60% female.
- Engineering & Manufacturing Operations: Won by Liz Allan, Vice President of Engineering & Design (Biopharma & Life Sciences) at Exyte.
- Workplace of the Year: Awarded to BioMarin (Cork) for its inclusive workplace culture and career progression pathways.
Complete List of Women in Pharma Awards 2026 Winners
| Award Category | Winner / Recipient | Company / Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Leader Award | Emma Kilgallon | West Pharmaceutical Services |
| Legacy Award | Jean Casey | Eli Lilly |
| Excellence in Pharma & Life Sciences | Alette Ramos Hunt | Novartis |
| Best Female-Led Team (Large) | Affiliate Leadership Team (Dana Kendall) | AbbVie |
| Best Female-Led Team | Start-Up Team (Olivia McLoughlin & Emer Mulvaney) | Cancer Trials Ireland |
| Excellence in Senior Leadership (Life Sciences) | Rose Kidd | Icon plc |
| Excellence in Senior Leadership (Pharma) | Deirdre Connaughton | Takeda Ireland |
| Workplace of the Year | BioMarin Cork (Ger Cregan) | BioMarin |
| Best Sales & Commercial Leadership | Lisa Mullaney | Medguard Healthcare |
| Best Site Leadership | Mary Moran (Amy O'Keeffe accepting) | AbbVie |
| Best Clinical Operations Leadership | Marie Smith | Takeda Ireland |
| Excellence in Senior Leadership (Contract Services) | Dr. Gemma Robinson | Acorn Regulatory Consulting Services |
| Best Engineering & Manufacturing Operations | Liz Allan | Exyte |
| Best Supply Chain / Logistics Leadership | Flavia Baccaro | AbbVie |
| Best HR Leadership | Emma Kilgallon | West Pharmaceutical Services |
| Best Finance Leadership | Victoria Ramos | Grifols |
| Rising Star of the Year | Rachel Torreggiani | Takeda Ireland |
| Best Quality Leadership | Áine Hopkins | PTC Therapeutics |
| Best Education & Mentoring Leadership | Nicola Rice | Innopharma Technical Services |
| Best Marketing & Communications Leadership | Victoria Hampson | Takeda Ireland |
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