Keith Thompson was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for Services to Science and Innovation in the 2021 New Year Honours List.
Keith Thompson, former Chief Executive Officer has received the CBE in recognition of his invaluable contributions made to the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, the wider Catapult programme and to the UK BioIndustry Association’s Vaccine Taskforce.
Further to establishing the CGT Catapult in 2012, Keith has been an indispensable driving force behind ensuring the effective development, commercialisation and adoption of cell and gene therapies, as well as growing the cell and gene therapy industry across the UK. Over the course of his eight years as Chief Executive Officer, Keith built the team at CGT Catapult to over 200 cell and gene therapy experts in state-of-the-art laboratories in London, as well as established a unique large-scale manufacturing facility in Stevenage, driving the development of the largest cluster of cell and gene therapy companies outside of the US.
In his acceptance of the award, Keith Thompson commented:
“I am deeply honoured to have been awarded CBE for Services to Science and Innovation in the New Year Honours List. It has been a privilege to work with so many fantastic people over the years, turning outstanding scientific discovery into new medicines for patients who often have illnesses without effective treatments. I want to especially thank my colleagues at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Innovate UK who helped to build the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Network of Catapult Centres into such an asset for the Nation, it is truly humbling.”
Keith was also recognised for his contributions as Director of the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) as well as the BIA’s Vaccine Manufacturing Taskforce, which has been at the heart of understanding the challenges behind the manufacturing and scale-up of a successful COVID-19 vaccine. He is also Chair of the Pharma Sector Advisory Board at Deep Science Ventures and serves on the ISCT Strategic Advisory Council.
CGT Catapult offers a warm congratulations to Keith and is thankful for the impact he has delivered to the organisation, as well as to the UK cell and gene therapy industry as a whole.
