The Life Sciences Industry Conference 2026 continues to build a speaker lineup grounded in operational experience and technical authority, confirming six new additions to a programme focused on AI adoption and digital transformation across Ireland's life sciences manufacturing sector. The conference takes place on Thursday, 22 October 2026, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, Dublin.

Brendan McGrath joins as Conference Chair. WuXi Biologics Ireland's first employee and former Site Head and VP of Manufacturing, his earlier roles across Organon, Schering-Plough, and MSD span the full arc of Ireland's pharmaceutical manufacturing development.

Meg Leahey, Senior Director of Global CMC Biologics at Sanofi, brings over twenty years in biotech CMC and clinical regulatory affairs across multiple therapeutic areas. With earlier roles at MSD, Pfizer, and Bristol Myers Squibb, her expertise in regulatory strategy and compliance grounds the programme's governance sessions in lived manufacturing experience.

Dr Hisham Al-Obaidi, Associate Professor in Pharmaceutics and Translational Drug Delivery at the University of Reading, bridges pharmaceutical sciences, digital health, and AI. A practising Advanced Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner in the NHS and inventor on several patents, his research connects drug delivery innovation directly to the manufacturing and digital systems that support it.

Domhnall Carroll, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Manufacturing Ireland, led the organisation's establishment from 2021 as a national centre of excellence for advanced manufacturing transformation. His earlier leadership of Siemens' Digital Industries business in Ireland gives him a systems-level view of what Industry 4.0 demands in practice.

Tom Quinn, Vice President and Site Head at Novo Nordisk Production Ireland, leads the company's multi-product, FDA- and HPRA-approved facility in Athlone. With over thirty years across general management, business transformation, and operations, he brings site leadership experience that grounds strategic discussions in manufacturing reality.

Cormac Byrne, Head of Digital at APC, leads the iAchieve Business Unit, developing digital products for pharmaceutical manufacturing. His Cornell PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering informs work focused on applying AI across CMC and pharmaceutical development, with particular attention to the trust and adoption challenges that determine whether digital tools actually embed within manufacturing organisations.

Together, the six newly confirmed speakers reflect a programme built around operational leadership and practical implementation as much as technology and strategy.

Visit the Life Sciences Industry Conference 2026 website to book your place and receive further speaker announcements and programme updates ahead of the October event.