Sourcing and Procurement Consultant

Google appoints new head of data center energy & infrastructure in EMEA. Aris Karcanias joins to head team June 18, 2026 Google has appointed Aris Karcanias as its head of data center energy and infrastructure in the EMEA region. Karcanias joins the search giant after stints at PA Consulting and FTI Consulting, where he held senior advisory positions. He retains advisory positions at Kerogen Capital, CelerateX, and Susi Partners. He replaces Maud Texier in the role, who left Google to join Octopus Energy as global VP of data centers. Karcanias will be based in Google's London office. In a LinkedIn post reflecting on the news, Karcanias said he had been tasked with the mission to "deliver 24/7 clean, secure, and reliable power across Google's EMEA data centers, and the energy foundation the AI era is being built on." He added: "AI is initiating an unprecedented amount of electricity demand. Meeting it with clean power every hour of every day is one of the most consequential challenges today, and one upon which Google has chosen to lead. Done creatively, we're not just absorbing demand. We're part of the solution." Google has signed numerous energy supply deals across the EMEA region over recent years, the majority of which are renewable Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). These include a 15-year 100MW PPA in Germany with EnBW, a series of PPAs with Engie in Belgium and the UK, and a 35MW wind PPA with Exus in Spain. More in workforce & skills.

Nature's Toolbox partners with PA Consulting to develop NTxscribe. 11 June 2026 Consulting.us Nature's Toolbox worked with PA Consulting to create NTxscribe, a new benchtop machine that produces mRNA more efficiently. It aims to speed up drug development and improve access to important therapies. Nature's Toolbox, a biotech manufacturing company based in New Mexico, asked PA Consulting to completely reimagine a compact, durable, benchtop, consumable system that is rapidly deployable and shifts Nature's Toolbox from a reagents company to a product-based company - drastically simplifying the manufacturing process of mRNA for its customers. In collaboration with Nature's Toolbox, PA Consulting designed and developed the NTxscribe: a compact benchtop system to manufacture high quality, high-throughput mRNA. With this system, Nature's Toolbox can democratize the production of mRNA and proteins for next generation therapies, as a cost-effective and consistent solution. The achievement is a major step forward for Nature's Toolbox and the industry, because producing mRNA in large scale through current methods can be a real challenge in terms of consistency, quality, and turnaround time. mRNA vaccines require the right expertise to set up and run the process with the right formulations and purification processes. With growing need for mRNA as a basis for research and production, there is demand for a solution that combines a bio-chemistry platform with a cost-effective manufacturing process. The potential benefits of NTxscribe are large - owing to their precision and safe profile, mRNA based therapies are being studied to treat a number of diseases including cancer, HIV, influenza, and even genetic disorders. Transforming a traditional process Transforming the process of making mRNA to become more efficient and scalable was a key objective of the project. Nick Warrington, Bio manufacturing innovation expert at PA Consulting, said: "Our challenge was how to get a whole process flow into one compact cassette that can be plugged into an instrument. Through a number of exploratory iterations, we found a way to embed the process complete with hollow fibre bioreactors into the cassette, and keep it sterile, which minimizes the workflow complexity and maximizes the chance of repeatable product quality." Conventional labs are complex, expensive, and require specific internal capabilities to create a consistent level of purified mRNA. Additionally, bioreactors are challenging to scale for varying output volumes, and the turnaround times for an mRNA run - often measured in days or weeks - can significantly impact research and development timelines as well as manufacturing efficiency. In addition to solving the engineering challenge, PA Consulting's design team created a modern aesthetic with a user-friendly interface. This workstream of the project required a balance of user interface and user-led design, alongside control systems, mechanical and consumables design. "If you look at lab systems, you get a lot of tubing and exposed valves. It's very industrial and untidy," said Handy Yowanto, Vice President of Product Management at Nature's Toolbox. "Our system is fully enclosed and user friendly. There's very little user interaction other than sliding the cassette onto the instrument. Significant effort went into the usability design to ensure it is modern and clean, minimizing the risk of errors and variability in the process." NTxscribe's launch The NTxscribe made its public debut at the SITC Conference in Houston and the mRNA Health Conference in Boston, garnering huge interest. Reflecting on the project, Warrington said: "With the help of our engineering expertise, and within an astonishingly quick 10-month timeframe, Nature's Toolbox has developed a first of its kind, proprietary continuous flow, in-vitro, transcription benchtop system utilizing hollow fiber bioreactors." "Several research organizations are testing this groundbreaking innovation in real-world settings, where it has the potential to accelerate research and accessibility to new personalized therapies for diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and HIV, and revolutionize the ability to respond to pandemics."

PA Consulting welcomes Andy Flockhart as Partner in Health and Life Sciences. 01 June 2026 PA Consulting (PA), the global innovation and transformation consultancy, has appointed Andy Flockhart as a Partner in its Health and Life Sciences team, further strengthening its expertise across pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. Andy brings more than 20 years' experience advising life sciences organisations on strategy, operations and technology transformation. He specialises in regulatory and quality transformation, helping clients accelerate product development and bring innovative treatments and devices to market more efficiently and safely. Andy began his career at a life sciences start up and joins PA from Deloitte, where he led the UK medical devices business for eight years. Throughout his career, he has worked across pharmaceutical and medical technology organisations, supporting clients with complex R&D challenges and operating at the forefront of regulatory and quality innovation. At PA, Andy will focus on supporting pharmaceutical and medical technology clients to navigate increasing regulatory complexity and drive performance across the product development lifecycle. His work will focus on the intersection of regulatory, quality and emerging technologies, including AI, as organisations respond to evolving global requirements and the need for faster, more efficient innovation. Andy's appointment reinforces PA's continued investment in its health and life sciences capabilities, further strengthening its support to clients as they navigate regulatory change, global expansion and the increasing demand for faster, more innovative product development. Life sciences. Deliver connected, personalised care, driven by scientific advancements and a belief in possibility. Health. Transform care with innovation, efficiency, and expertise for better health outcomes and stronger health systems. Contact the team. PA Consulting Group look forward to hearing from you.