Keele, UK, 2 August 2023 – Biocomposites, an international medical devices company that engineers, manufactures and markets world leading products for use in infection management in bone and soft tissue, has strengthened its leadership team with the addition of two new Directors. Michelle Lewis has become Human Resources Director and Ciara Airey has become Regulatory Affairs Director. Both appointments come in response to the company’s strong growth and the need to manage an increasing talent pool of people, whilst maximising the opportunity to grow revenue through regulatory differentiation.
Michelle Lewis brings with her an impressive 25-year track record in senior HR positions, including board membership. Her expertise spans various sectors, and she has successfully implemented strategic HR plans and managed HR operations throughout her career. Michelle most recently served as the Group People Director at PAM Group, a company focused on Occupational Health, Rehabilitation, Wellbeing, and Absence Management, with a sizable turnover and employee base. Michelle has led major change programmes for large companies and SMEs, all of which have delivered operational efficiencies and significantly increased employee engagement. She has been a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development (CFIPD) since 2017.
Ciara Airey has over 15 years of experience in the medical device industry within R&D and regulatory affairs. Prior to joining Biocomposites, she was Head of Regulatory at Inivata where she developed the regulatory team and infrastructure to support regulatory compliance of the company’s innovative liquid biopsy oncology tests. Ciara’s industrial experience started at QIAGEN in the development and regulation of molecular diagnostic oncology tests, and she was the regulatory lead for the first FDA-approved companion diagnostic in bladder cancer. She has also held roles in CRO, consulting and pharma, specialising in regulatory and clinical strategy for high-risk diagnostic devices. Ciara holds a PhD and MRes in molecular biology from the University of Liverpool, a postgraduate diploma in statistics, and a Batchelor of Science degree in human genetics from Trinity College Dublin.
Commenting on the appointments, Michael Harris, CEO of Biocomposites, said: “Michelle and Ciara are important additions to the senior management team and we are excited to have them onboard. Over the last two years the number of people in the Biocomposites Group has doubled and with Michelle’s lead we will continue to attract, develop and retain the highest quality professionals in all areas of our business. Likewise, regulatory differentiation has always been a key pillar of our strategy, and with multiple medical device and drug trials at varying stages of fulfilment, Ciara will be critical in seeing them delivered into market ready products.”