Maria Zambon is the internationally respected director of HPA Centre for Reference Microbiology Services. She has a sustained record of personal scientific achievements and medical leadership roles in clinical virology and national response to emerging viral infections over the last 20 years. She and her team, have an impressive track record in generating scientific data critical to decision making in national and international public health responses. Nationally, she has provided medical and scientific direction to orchestrate NHS laboratory preparedness for pandemic influenza. She is an independent advisor to the WHO, ECDC, EU, Gates Foundation, World Bank and other international agencies.