Dave Allen
Dave Allen is a distinguished figure in the pharmaceutical industry, best known for his long and impactful career at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he spent almost two decades as one of the most senior leaders in research and development. At GSK, he most recently served as the leader for Global Research restructuring and has also been a member of major scientific governance and review boards.
Dave completed his education at the University of Oxford, where he earned his Master’s in Natural Sciences – Chemistry. Following his time at university, he went on to apply cutting-edge advances in biomedical science to the discovery of new medicines at GSK – most notably, as part of a team that discovered and developed seven new respiratory medicines that are now available worldwide.
Dave has held many positions of responsibility in business and academic spheres, has been a member of various university scientific advisory boards, a Board member for the Stevenage science park, a charity Trustee, and an Impact Assessor for both REF2014 and REF2021. In addition, he has been awarded an honorary Doctorate by Strathclyde University, and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is currently the Director of Translation at The Francis Crick Institute, having joined in January 2025.