Dr Nik Kotecha is a business leader and entrepreneur, as well as a philanthropist and influencer. Nik is the Founder and Chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, a Midlands-based manufacturer, wholesaler and exporter of branded and generic medicines and healthcare products to the UK and international export markets. He started the business in 1991 from his home garage and grew it into a global business. Since inception, Morningside has exported to over 120 countries and has over 240 generic and branded licensed medicines in the UK and EU. As well as products delivered twice daily to UK pharmacies and hospitals, Morningside supplies some of the world’s largest aid agencies such as UNICEF, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Red Cross. The Company also continues to grow in new markets, where product registrations in individual countries offer an opportunity to develop in the private sector. In addition to Morningside, Nik is a serial entrepreneur with a number of business and investment interests. This has been recognised by numerous awards, most recently the National Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2019 National Business Awards. In 2017, he was awarded an OBE for services to entrepreneurship, innovation in pharmaceutical services and philanthropy. Nik is active in public service at both national and regional level. His roles include Department of International Trade (DIT) Export Champion and sitting on the Department’s SME Trade Advisory Group. He also plays a dynamic role on the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), the Midlands Engine Council, CBI East Midlands and as Co-Chair of Charnwood Borough Council’s Town Deal Board. Nik and his family established The Randal Charitable Foundation in 2017. Its vision is to directly save lives, help the socially disadvantaged and significantly improve the quality of life for those in need in the UK and around the world with an ambition to save one million lives globally. Born in east Africa, Nik came to the UK as a young child and through hard work and tenacity, pursued an education. After gaining a First Class degree in Chemistry at Newcastle, he achieved a PhD from Imperial College London and then went on to further work at Cambridge University, before switching to work in pharmaceutical drug discovery followed by development, manufacture and supply of generic medicines. Nik is married and has two grown up children.