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Dr Annalisa Jenkins grew up in the south of England in a naval family. Having discovered a passion medicine at an early age, she received offers from several medical schools and chose St. Bart’s – because it was in London (much to her parents’ chagrin). While in med school, she gained essential financial support for her medical training by joining the British Royal Navy during the Gulf Conflict, and spent nine years in the service, seeing wartime action as the only woman in a squadron of 700 men. Rising to the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant Commander and dodging silkworm missiles readied her for crisis management in business. After a spell in the NHS and research at the National Heart and Lung Institute, she shifted to the pharma industry and rose through the medical affairs ranks with Bristol Myers Squibb, working in multiple global locations before taking over the R&D reins at Merck Serono in Darmstadt. After returning to the US and moving into the world of biotech, she became CEO of gene therapy and hemophilia play, Dimension Therapeutics and took on a number of board roles. When Dimension was acquired, she returned to the UK she has expanded and adjusted her portfolio of board positions and non-profit activity. Annalisa is excited by the potential of the UK life sciences and sees an important role for BELS in this regard.