ISPE United Kingdom Affiliate 2024 Member of the Year: Chris Leman
Chris Leman received the ISPE United Kingdom (UK) Affiliate Member of the Year Award at the ISPE UK Affiliate Annual Conference and Awards Dinner in London, Heathrow in November 2024. Leman was honored as ISPE UK 2024 Member of the Year in recognition of his incredible contributions which included leading the ISPE UK North West region, creating the new UK Commissioning and Qualification (C&Q) Community of Practice (CoP), collaborating with Charted Institute of Building (CIOB) for the ”Diversity in the Workplace” webinar series, and serving as the Vice Chair of ISPE UK Affiliate. Leman is Global Commissioning and Qualification Lead for AstraZeneca. A member of ISPE since 2020, Leman is a seasoned C&Q professional, he has worked in various delivery, subject matter expert (SME), and governance roles for multiple major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for more than 20 years. Chris has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Biotechnology. Outside of work and ISPE, he is an avid football and rugby fan and also enjoys running, which he says helps to counter his other passion – eating out with family and friends.
When (and why) did you join ISPE, and when did you get involved with ISPE’s UK Affiliate and their Commissioning and Qualification CoP?
I became a member of ISPE in 2020 and quickly developed an interest in becoming more actively involved. I was eager to build upon the efforts of others in fostering a stronger sense of community within the UK. This led me to take on the role of Regional Chair in late 2022 and later the position of UK Vice Chair in 2024. As a professional in C&Q, I embraced the opportunity to create and launch a UK C&Q Community of Practice, which officially began in 2024.
What is your professional background and what drew you to the pharmaceutical industry?
My professional background is in Commissioning, Qualification and Validation, with my first validation role dating back to 2002. Since then, I have undertaken numerous consultancy assignments across the UK, Europe, and the USA before joining AstraZeneca as a full-time employee in 2020. I have always been fascinated by the pharmaceutical industry—connecting molecular science and chemistry with industrial technology and ultimately delivering value to patients. This unique intersection provides me with the privilege of witnessing firsthand how our sector positively impacts people’s lives.
What do you most enjoy about your work?
Collaboration and planning are central to my roles at AstraZeneca and with ISPE, enabling me to engage with a diverse range of functions across various geographies. Gaining insights into different perspectives and coordinating activities to align visions brings me a strong sense of accomplishment.
What would you say has been the biggest benefit of joining ISPE?
From my perspective, the networking opportunities have been invaluable. Through ISPE, I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with a fantastic group of individuals who have championed and supported my ideas and vision. The boost in personal confidence that comes from having others believe in what you’re striving to achieve is significant.
Talk about your experiences with ISPE’s UK Affiliate and/or the C&Q CoP?
Some personal highlights for me include delivering a workshop on project culture, a webinar series on neurodiversity, and planning/hosting the ISPE UK 2023 Summer Conference. Despite being less than a year old, the C&Q CoP successfully organized and hosted a C&Q workshop focused on the key principles of the ISPE Baseline® Guide: Commissioning and Qualification (Second Edition) at the AstraZeneca Macclesfield Campus. I was truly honored to be recognized for my contributions to the UK Affiliate with the UK 2024 Member of the Year award.
What plans are the UK Affiliate and UK C&Q CoP focusing on?
The UK Affiliate has a busy and exciting year ahead in 2025! We are thrilled to host the 2025 ISPE European Annual Conference in May, followed by our summer conference in June, and culminating with our flagship ISPE UK Annual Conference and Annual Awards Dinner in November—an event I am both proud and incredibly excited to host.
As part of our strategic focus on technical growth across all our CoPs, we will be offering a second C&Q training workshop, this time centered on Good Engineering Practice. Additionally, we aim to further explore opportunities for collaboration between the C&Q, Pharma 4.0™, and GAMP® CoPs, other ISPE European Affiliates, and external organizations.
The ISPE UK Affiliate was initiated in 1988/89 and held its first annual general meeting on 24 October 1990. The ISPE UK Affiliate acted as the springboard to launch ISPE throughout Europe. UK membership has since grown to more than 1,000 members with active regional representation in four areas of the UK organizing evening seminars, conferences, and networking events.
The flagship ISPE UK Affiliate event is the ISPE UK Annual Conference and Awards Dinner which takes place in November and is hosted in rotation around the four regions. This event consists of a day-time technical conference on a significant strategic theme of wide interest across the industry followed by an evening black-tie dinner and awards ceremony. The event will take place 13 November 2025 at Etihad Stadium and Campus in Manchester, UK.
Learn more about the upcoming UK Affiliate event.
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