Meet Dan English

The IMed Team keeps growing and this week Dan English joined the ranks of our specialist consultants. Al Mills finds out more;

Where are you from? 

I was born in Birkenhead on the Wirral and raised in the north side coastal towns of the peninsula. I spent many weekends of my childhood on the other side of the River Mersey, so Liverpool became something of a second home; I loved the city and even stayed local and completed my degree there. I moved to Ilkley, West Yorkshire shortly after graduation, where I completed my post graduate degree and met, my now wife, Kelly. We moved to Haworth, where we started our family and lived there for 15 years, before recently moving to Yorkshire/Lancashire borders.  

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

I suppose originally Spiderman or Batman! Then an illustrator or designer of some kind; I always loved the illustrations in Roald Dahl books as a child. I ended up designing the posters for school plays, and the stage sets in secondary school! Later I wanted to be an architect, then a teacher, as I had some great teachers in my later education. I’ve enjoyed tutoring and mentoring whenever the chance has arisen.  

So how did you find your way into Medical Devices? 

I initially applied for a job as Labelling & Artwork co-ordinator at Johnson & Johnson, which led to a Labelling Specialists position. Everything we worked on had to be reviewed and signed off by multiple departments with the Regulatory department being the final frontier! So, I spent a lot of time liaising between the teams and became the conduit between all departments; leading projects ultimately to the final regulatory review. Eventually the Regulatory team encouraged me to apply for a role in their department; specifically focussing on the advance wound care products. This business stream immediately expanded globally after a restructure and they thought me the ideal candidate to manage it, with my cross departmental exposure and communication skills, so I began working with both the current and emerging markets.   

Why does QA/RA interest you? 

For the same reasons I was encouraged by my peers to join RA in the first place, I suppose. My key skills lie in liaising with different, people, discpilines and cultures with a variety of devices and I enjoy the challenge of getting successful results that lead to safe & effective products reaching whichever global market being targeted. And what could be more important that contributing to getting medical devices to the patients that need them? 

What about your most recent work? 

I’ve been focussing on change impact reviews, this involved the maintenance of over 90 market registrations for things like; MDR updates, various change requirements and the effects of Brexit, to ensure we could predict and react to any possible issues in licence validity.   

What appealed to you about this consulting role and IMed? 

My previous company changed hands and became a contract manufacturer organisation only, so the opportunities to work on project teams and expand my RA knowledge and experience became more limited. So the prospect of Consutancy, IMed’s commitment to client relationships, employee development and a close-knit local team, felt like the perfect fit. The idea of working and expanding my knowledge within IMed, with multiple clients, means I can navigate the current RA landscape to successful CA/CE marking  and product expansion, which feels more challenging and exciting.    

What would you say are the key challenges for Med Dev companies currently? 

Meeting MDR remains a big one, however the lack of resources at notified bodies and impact of the pandemic makes it even harder for Med Dev & Med Tech companies. IVD manufacturers are the same really and should not rest on their laurels in preparing for IVDR. Moving from the Directives to the Regulations is a big jump and can take time when you are trying to run a business too.  

And when you’re not delving into regulatory detail, where can we find you? 

Most likely with my family, Kelly and my two sons, Adam & Nathan; visiting and exploring new places and walks. We just got back from a half term trip to Northern Ireland during the recent storms – and we’re hoping to get to Poland and back to Netherlands this year, where we love to go. We are always trying new places to eat anywhere we visit as well! This is why, incidentally, I go to the gym whenever I can and do weekly 5K Park Runs, which are ran every Saturday in parks all across the globe. I also have an ongoing lightsabre/nerf war with my boys, but I can’t keep up with them on the gaming front, so I may now have to bring in the IMed gaming reinforcements, as I know we have some experts in the team. I’ve always been very big into gaming and movies which has passed on to my family. We are all into the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. 

So, is there anything else interesting about Daniel English that we really should know? 

I am a member of a couple of Field Archery sites and looking forward to getting back out there with the boys this Spring. As covid restrictions lift, it’s time to dust off the bow and arrows (and green tights!).  I also try and keep as artistic and creative as possible; in fact, I recently started on 3D printing, as my youngest wants movie props and costumes, so that he can attend local fan conventions in character. So far, we have made about five Mandalorian helmets – but we are still trying to get the correct fit! Oh – and I know that #imedlovepets – so I must mention the final member of my family, our Jack Russell/Staffy cross, Bronte! 

Regs, Foodie, movie-buff, gamer and a dog lover. You are going to fit right in at IMed Dan – welcome to the team!