Dame Louise Makin has over 35 years of international business experience, most recently as CEO of BTG plc for 15 years. She has extensive Board experience with both established and start-up ventures and is currently Chair of Halma plc and Independent Director at Avantor Inc.

Louise was awarded a DBE in 2014 for services to Life Sciences, with citations for being a role model for Women in Business and Women in Science.

Are we asking ourselves the right question? This question is at the core of Louise’s approach whether it be about strategy, organisation or ourselves. Along with a deeply held belief in culture as a competitive advantage, Louise believes these are the foundations on which innovative and lasting improvements can be built.

After earning an MA in Natural Sciences and PhD from Cambridge University, Dame Louise spent the first 15 years of her career in the industrial sector with a variety of commercial and planning roles in ICI and English China Clays. She then joined Baxter Healthcare Inc where she was President of the largest European division. In 2004, she joined BTG plc as CEO and led the strategic repositioning and transformational growth journey from a market cap of $0.2bn to $4.2bn.

Dame Louise has also served as a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Premier Foods plc, Intertek Group plc, Woodford Patient Capital Trust, Atotech Ltd and Theramex Ltd. She was a Trustee of The Outward Bound Trust for 10 years and Chair of the 1851 Trust for five, and is an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge.

Louise has a partner and two grown-up children. Competitive sports have been an important thread throughout her life, having been involved in rowing, high altitude running, cross-country skiing and even racing yachts.