Today (17 March 2025) marks the 20th anniversary of Boyds. From humble beginnings to becoming a key player in drug development consultancy, our story is one of innovation and growth, driven by a dedication to improving the lives of patients worldwide.
With headquarters in Cheshire and offices in Cambridge, Dublin and Philadelphia, Boyds has played a key role in the development of over 20 approved medicines, including the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and 11 of the 26 globally approved cell and gene therapy products.
To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we look back at some of our milestone moments.
A vision comes to life
In 2005, Professor Alan Boyd founded Alan Boyd Consultants Limited. A pioneer in the field of drug development, Alan’s vision was to provide expert guidance and support to accelerate the development of life-changing medicines.
Early milestones
By 2006, Boyds opened its first office at Electra House in Crewe, and Mel Entwisle became the company’s first employee. One year later, Bryan Hurst joined as the company’s first consultant, followed by Gillian Langford as programme manager in 2008.
In 2009, Boyds expanded its offering by forming BaxterBoyd, a partnership focused on delivering training for the Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine for Physicians working in the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies.
Continued growth
The next few years saw steady growth. By 2010, Boyds opened its office in Histon, Cambridge, and expanded further with a move in 2012 to Watson’s Yard in Cottenham. Our team grew, with key hires like Robin Henderson, who joined in 2011 to establish the Regulatory Affairs Group. 2013 marked a major achievement when Boyds’ income surpassed £1m, supported by a (growing!) team of five talented individuals. We also started working with marketing specialist Sue Carr and V Formation in 2013, who continue to deliver strategic and tactical marketing support to us today.
Rebranding Boyds
In 2014, Boyds rebranded, officially adopting its current name. This was a year of transformation, with the appointment of Julie Warner and significant involvement in initiatives like Horizon 2020 and the ‘New Deal’ programme. December 2014 saw Boyds begin its partnership with Cyclo Therapeutics to develop the orphan drug Trappsol® Cyclo™ – a shining example of our commitment to tackling rare diseases.
We celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2015 and continued our upward growth trajectory. By this time, we had worked on over 100 strategic or development projects covering therapeutics and biologicals, medical devices and diagnostics. We’d been actively involved in designing and developing over 20 clinical studies, obtained around 12 successful Orphan Drug Designations for clients from the EMA and/or the FDA, and submitted and secured approval for around 20 IMPD/CTA or IND Applications.
Later that year, Alan Boyd was appointed President of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FPM) for a three-year term, a prestigious recognition of his leadership in the field.
Industry and national recognition
In January 2016, Nick Meyers was appointed to establish the Programme Management group at Boyds. As Boyds continued to grow, it received industry recognition, including the BioNow Outstanding Contribution Award in 2016.
In 2017, Boyds launched the Regulatory Intelligence Digest, a key regulatory resource for industry professionals. Then, in 2018, we successfully acquired a new office in Sawston, Cambridge, and a virtual tenancy at BioHub, Alderley Park.
One of the most exciting moments in Boyds’ history came in 2018 when gene therapy Luxturna® was approved by the EMA for inherited eye disease, a culmination of an 11-year project that Boyds played a pivotal role in.
Not only this, but Boyds was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, International Trade for Outstanding Short-Term Growth in 2018, in recognition of our work supporting the development of cell and gene therapies overseas.
Expanding our horizons
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit in 2019, Boyds’ exports continued to grow, particularly in Europe and the US. Boyds opened an office in Dublin and established Boyd Consultants Ltd following Brexit. We appointed Siobhan Gaynor to lead Boyds in Ireland.
In 2019, Boyds also acquired Blue Duck Consulting, bringing clinical operations in-house with Dr Karen O’Hanlon.
We also hit the following milestones in 2019:
- Acquiring BaxterBoyd to form Boyds Training Ltd
- Attending BIO in the US for the first time
- Winning Business of the Year at South Cheshire Chamber Awards
- Winning the TOPRA Futures Award
With 18 employees on board, we doubled our revenue.
Launching in the US
In 2020, Boyds was proud to support the Oxford/AZ Covid-19 vaccine development project during the pandemic and to contribute to the development of multiple other Covid-related products.
We commenced the strategic business planning process with BDO to support our ambitious growth plans and the following year (2021), opened our office in Philadelphia and established Boyd Consultants Inc, marking our entry into the US. In addition, we refreshed our brand and launched a new website to support our growth in the US market.
Our Chief Financial Officer Neil Chakrabarti joined us in March 2021, with Dr Neil Fish appointed as Vice President of Business Development in November of that year.
As a direct result of implementing the strategic business plan, our number of employees increased to 29.
Other achievements in 2021 included:
- Establishing our holding company, Boyds International Life Sciences Group Ltd
- Introducing share incentive and bonus schemes for employees
- Forming our Executive Leadership Team
- Gifting Boyds Training and the Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine Course to the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FPM)
Recent achievements
2022 was another landmark year for Boyds, with revenue in the US exceeding £1m for the first time. We also celebrated the FDA approval of the gene therapy Adstiladrin® for bladder cancer – the culmination of a 10-year project.
Our Crewe office underwent an expansion and refurbishment in 2022, and we appointed Dr Karen Mullen as our Chief Medical Officer.
In 2023, Boyds continued to achieve excellence, winning the prestigious TOPRA Futures Award and the TOPRA Inspiration Award awarded to Boyds’ Dr Katherine Bowen. Our revenue trebled, with significant growth in US sales. The number of employees also grew to 40, further expanding our global reach.
Some more 2023 highlights included:
- Boyds becoming Patron of CAT FM in Nantwich & Crewe
- Establishing our Regulatory Operations group, offering publishing support to clients
- Kimberley Ormerod joining Boyds as HR Manager
- Launching our Conversations in Drug Development podcast series
2024 saw us hit a revenue high, with the US accounting for 50% of our sales. We also appointed Dr Katherine Bowen as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.
The Boyds Social Committee raised £1,419 for our charity of the year, The Maddi Foundation through cake bakes and other activities in Crewe and Cambridge.
Looking to the future
Professor Alan Boyd says: “As we mark our 20th anniversary, we remain dedicated to our mission – to always be at the cutting-edge, expediting the development of medicinal products for patient benefit. I couldn’t be prouder of the Boyds team. Our success is built on their passion, dedication, and specialist expertise in drug development. We are excited for the future and the global opportunities that lie ahead. A big thank you to all our clients, partners, and colleagues for being part of Boyds’ incredible journey to date.”
Happy 20th birthday, Boyds!
