Lord James O’Shaughnessy

James is co-founder and Senior Partner of Newmarket Strategy, a consultancy dedicated to

improving access to health innovation by providing strategic advice and technical support to

the healthcare, life sciences and health tech sectors. He is also a non-executive director at

HDR-UK and the Albion Development VCT plc. In early 2023 James was commissioned by the

Government to carry out an independent review of commercial clinical trials in the UK, which

was published in May.

James has operated at the highest levels of government, including as a Minister at the

Department for Health & Social Care, as Director of the No.10 Policy Unit, and as an advisor to

DHSC Ministers during the COVID-19 crisis. As Minister his responsibilities included

implementing the Life Science Industrial Strategy, delivering a new pricing scheme with the

pharmaceutical industry, chairing the National Genomics Board, and driving the digital

transformation of the NHS. He was also responsible for preparing the health and social care

sectors for Brexit and helping to design the post-Brexit regulatory regime.