Enterprise Minister pays tribute to Sir Allen McClay

Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster, MLA, today paid tribute to Sir Allen McClay, following the news of his passing in hospital in the USA.

The Minister said: “Sir Allen was a truly inspirational entrepreneur, with a real vision for Almac and the wider life sciences sector, and the personal drive to realise it. Almac was one of the first companies I visited on taking up the post of Enterprise Minister and it was clearly evident that his drive, determination and personality touched all those he worked with.

“In a relatively short space of time, he oversaw the growth of the Almac Group into a global service provider at the forefront of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, putting Northern Ireland firmly on the global map in a number of areas, including drug discovery and cancer diagnostics.

“Almac has also become one of Northern Ireland’s major employers with 1,500 skilled individuals at its headquarters in Craigavon and an additional 1,000 located in facilities throughout the rest of the UK and the east and west coasts of the US.

“He was also deeply committed to the development of the life sciences sector, channeling substantial funding to support healthcare research and its commercial exploitation, through his charitable foundation, the McClay Trust.

“Although life sciences was Sir Allen’s primary focus, he contributed hugely to wider economic development in Northern Ireland, and I was delighted that he was a member of the US:NI working group that was recently set up to work with US Envoy Declan Kelly to attract investment here and support the export ambitions of our local businesses.

“However, whilst Sir Allen’s contribution to the economy was immense, we should remember that, first and foremost, he was both a family-man and an inspirational mentor to those who worked for Almac. Our thoughts are with his wife, Heather, his family and the employees of Almac at this difficult time,” the Minister concluded.

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