Molly has had a 40-year career in life science and medical diagnostics, starting her career as a research scientist in academia. She moved into R&D in industry and progressed from being a bench scientist to becoming the managing director of Gen-Probe Cardiff Ltd (now Hologic), taking it from the manufacturing of life science kits to being an ISO 13485 certified GMP facility, producing CE marked IVD kits, and turning over £2 million per annum. Her work in industry also includes time spent with The Boots Company (Industrial Division), Amersham International and GE Healthcare.

Her experience has given her an in-depth understanding of the process of taking ideas from the lab, through the development and testing process, to obtaining a CE mark, and she knows at first hand the different expertise and skill sets required to bring about scale up. She has helped SMEs to introduce a culture of quality into their organisations and obtain ISO 9001, ISO 13485 and ISO 17025 certifications, and appreciates the challenges of introducing a quality management system into very small organisations. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she worked with a range of companies who were new to the industry to help them develop rapid virus diagnostic tests, gain CE marks for PPE and achieve ISO 13485 certification to manufacture medical devices.

She was a registered radioactive worker for 30 years and worked on a nuclear site for 13 years, covering the role of site Duty Officer, so she understands the requirements for working with radioactivity and managing a nuclear installation.

Molly has a first degree in Applied Biology and a PhD in biochemistry from Cardiff University and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. She is a member of their employer advisory group and degree accreditation panel, as she is keen to raise awareness of the wide range of job opportunities in science. She is also passionate about dispelling the myth that scientists cannot be good managers, or good communicators, and enjoys mentoring them into management and leadership roles.

Away from the ‘day job’, Molly is a keen horsewoman and an active member of her local riding club and British Dressage. She competes her Fjord horse in dressage competitions at local, regional and national level. She is also an occasional contributor to BBC Radio Wales

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