Mario Pennisi

Mario Pennisi is the CEO of Life Sciences Queensland Limited (LSQ). Prior to moving into this role he has been the CEO of Queensland Clinical Trials Network Inc. (QCTN) since its establishment in 2005, and has over 30 years experience in the life sciences industry. Mario has extensive experience in managing and growing commercial operations in the life science industry. In the mid 1990s, in affiliation with US and German-based organisations, he established the first Queensland-based ‘central laboratory’, servicing international trials in the Asia-Pacific region. He was also a founding member of Queensland’s first contract research organisation. He moved to a national healthcare company - where he was responsible for national business development and played a role in the efforts to provide an integrated offering across the various divisions in the company. Mario has overseen QCTN’s growth to 100+ members, to become Australia’s peak industry group for therapeutic product service providers. Since taking on a role involved in establishing LSQ, Mario and the team have been working to recruit a strong (170+) membership base across all of the life sciences as well as broaden and maintain relationships with strategic partners across the Asia Pacific Region, Europe and North America. With a strong focus on the role of innovation in promoting and developing the Queensland ‘bioeconomy’, LSQ has now become a key industry voice for the life sciences sector in Australia and wider afield. Mario has been the inaugural convenor of the Innovation-20 Dialogue, which leveraged the Australian presidency of the G-20 in 2014.