Will Delaat

Recent Speaker

Chairman Medicines Australia

November 17, 2010

"The medicines industry and a healthier Australia"

Will Delaat is the Chairman of Medicines Australia, the peak body for Australia’s innovative pharmaceuticals industry.

Mr Delaat will set out the significance of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Memorandum of Understanding with the Commonwealth – both for taxpayers and consumers.

He will make the case for Parliament to pass the PBS legislation currently before the Senate and Mr Delaat will announce Medicines Australia’s four-point plan to ensure the medicines industry can continue to deliver better health outcomes and greater economic benefits to Australians.


In a career spanning 35 years with three different multi-national companies, he has worked in a variety of roles both in Europe and Australia, including sales & marketing and business development. He was Managing Director for Merck Sharp & Dohme Australia for 11 years, until his retirement earlier this year.


Will has been on the Board of Medicines Australia since 1997, and was previously Chairman from 2003 to 2005.  During this time he co-chaired the taskforce which implemented the pharmaceutical provisions of the AUS Free Trade Agreement.  He is currently chair of the Pharmaceuticals Industry Council.


He is also a member of the Pharmaceuticals Industry Strategy Group, which will report in December this year to the Minister for Innovation, Senator Kim Carr, on a blueprint for a sustainable pharmaceuticals industry in Australia.


Will  is co-chair of the joint Industry-Department of Health Access to Medicines Working Group (AMWG) which earlier this year presented its interim report to Government to improve timely access to medicines for Australian patients.


This year Will became a Director of Australian specialty pharmaceutical company, Pharmaxis Ltd.