Ian Thrussell

Senior Consultant, GxPAssure

Ian Thrussell is a highly accomplished pharmaceutical quality and regulatory professional with more than four decades of experience across industry, national regulatory authorities, and international public health. A former Expert GMP inspector with the UK MHRA and Head of Inspections for WHO Prequalification, he is widely recognised for his specialist expertise in sterile manufacturing, biologics, vaccines, and global GMP inspection systems. Over the course of his career, he has managed, led and supported inspections of manufacturing sites across the UK, Europe, Asia, and other international territories, with extensive experience acting as lead inspector on complex and high-risk operations. His regulatory contributions have included representing the UK MHRA at the EMA Inspectors Working Group, serving on the ICH Q10 Expert Working Group for the European Commission, and has both led and contributed to the development and interpretation of international GMP guidance, including with WHO Expert Committees and PIC/s Expert Circles.

Since 2016, Ian has worked as an independent consultant and advisor, supporting organisations including WHO, national medicines regulatory authorities, PATH, and the Gates Foundation on GMP system strengthening, due diligence audit, as well as companies in GMP inspection readiness, regulatory training, and biologics manufacturing oversight. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ian was based in China, where he provided specialist consultancy to several organisations involved in the manufacture and global supply of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies.

Earlier in his career, he held senior quality and development roles in the pharmaceutical industry, including UK Head of Quality at Fresenius Kabi and sterile products development leadership positions at Boots. Ian combines deep technical knowledge with broad international regulatory insight, and is particularly valued for his practical, risk-based approach to GMP compliance, sterile product assurance, and regulatory capability building. Ian is eligible to act as a QP. He holds an MA (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of Oxford and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry as well as a Chartered Chemist.  English is Ian’s native language, and he possesses a professional working knowledge of French.