Winning category: STEM Ambassador of the Year

Brief description of business: Ipsen Biopharm is a mid-sized global biopharmaceutical company that works to improve patients’ lives through research, innovation and the development of transformative medicines in Oncology, Rare Disease and Neuroscience.

The company focusses on areas of high unmet medical need.

With a deep heritage and expertise across its areas of focus, Ipsen aim to overcome challenges along every step of the R&D pathway.

Having been around for almost one hundred years and through focused expansion of its development pipeline, is continues to build momentum to be around for another hundred. The team are successfully forging life-changing external partnerships, creating great possibilities, and executing a strong external innovation strategy.

Ipsen dedicates significant efforts into to identifying and collaborating with external innovators in the development of new assets and with the continued performance of our commercial assets as strong growth platforms, this figure will increase.

Why they deserved to win their category:

Sian Richardson from Ipsen Biopharm won STEM Ambassador of the Year for her work in inspiring the next generation into STEM careers. For over a decade, senior scientist Sian has worked hard to grow the STEM team within the Wrexham-based business. Since relaunching the team after the COVID19 pandemic, Sian has led them in dedicating 292 hours to STEM volunteering and inspiring over 3,000 young people whilst presenting at a range of STEM events.

How does the individual, business, or organisation further the STEM sector in Wales?

In her efforts to promote the STEM team within the company and beyond, Sian has presented in town hall meetings and even Ipsen’s annual conference taking to the stage in front of 400 people. Her enthusiasm and commitment to STEM has resulted in the team growing from five to over 30 people and has also resulted in Ipsen being able to support more STEM activities in the local area.

Sian has reached out to Ipsen’s other UK sites in Oxford and Slough too, to share resources and ideas to further interest in STEM.

Ipsen’s STEM program was re-initiated in June 2022, and since then the team has worked hard to engage with schools in the area to promote the impact of STEM in day-to-day life and showcase what we do at Ipsen in Wrexham. The team regularly hosts career events and has designed STEM resources translated for distribution within the local authority. The team work closely with Xplore!, its local science museum to arrange interactive events for primary ages students and has a relationship with Careers Wales to pair its volunteers with activities going on in schools locally, who have also helped to advertise events that Ipsen hosted for British Science Week.