About Us

Nicola Bench is a Microbiologist with more than 30 years of experience spanning the manufacture, sterilization, validation, and microbiological control of medical devices. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Biological Science from the University of Plymouth, UK.

As Associate Director, Global Sterility Assurance at BD, Nicola leads the Global Processes for Sterilization Controls and Environmental & Contamination Control. She provides strategic oversight for sterility assurance programs and is accountable for the governance of policies, processes, and initiatives across Compliance & Industry Engagement, Standards Management, Continuous Improvement, Technical Audits, and Training & Development.

Nicola is actively engaged in industry initiatives and standards development for the sterilization of health care products, as well as cleanrooms and associated controlled environments. She serves as a BSI‑nominated UK expert on ISO Working Groups covering radiation sterilization, microbiological methods, and biocontamination control. She was also recently appointed convenor of the CEN Working Group on the Microbiological Quality of Processed Medical Devices and leads the Microbiology Working Group for the Society for Sterility Assurance Professionals.