Casting our minds back to the Life Sciences Industry Awards 2026, held on 28th May at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, the Women in Life Sciences Award was presented to Louise Duggan, Head of Value and Access at Novartis Ireland, in recognition of a career that has consistently delivered meaningful impact for patients, healthcare systems, and Ireland's broader life sciences sector.

Louise Duggan's professional journey spans two of the most consequential areas of pharmaceutical leadership: frontline clinical engagement and national market access strategy. That combination has given her a uniquely grounded perspective on what it takes to move therapies from clinical development through to reimbursed access for patients, a process that demands both scientific literacy and the ability to build alignment across diverse stakeholders within complex healthcare systems.

In her role as Head of Value and Access at Novartis Ireland, Louise has strengthened the capability and infrastructure around evidence generation and reimbursement pathways, ensuring that the processes supporting access to innovative medicines are as robust as the medicines themselves. Over the past year in particular, her work has accelerated patient access to life-changing therapies, with a focus on oncology where speed of access can have direct consequences for patient outcomes.

The judging panel at the Life Sciences Industry Awards 2026 highlighted the clarity and alignment with which Louise has led her teams. By uniting colleagues around a coherent approach to value and access strategy, she has created a function that moves with both purpose and pace, qualities that are particularly valuable in an environment where health technology assessment processes and reimbursement timelines are under increasing scrutiny.

Her contribution extends beyond Novartis Ireland, reinforcing the life sciences sector's capacity to deliver healthcare innovation to Irish patients more quickly and sustainably. The Women in Life Sciences Award reflects a standard of leadership that is both measurable in its outcomes and significant in its influence on the wider pharmaceutical and health systems landscape.

Stay tuned for the Life Sciences Industry Awards 2027 cycle, where Ireland's most innovative life sciences organisations will once again have the opportunity to be recognised.

View the full list of winners at www.lifesciencesawards.ie/shortlist, and subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed on future award cycles and industry news.