Toggle – Richard Spence

Dr. Richard Spence is a highly experienced laboratory operations and systems leader with more than two decades of expertise across high‑containment laboratory facility management, biosafety, diagnostic microbiology, and organisational assurance. Based in New Zealand, Richard has built a distinguished career developing high‑performing teams, strengthening critical laboratory systems, and enhancing national capability to respond to high‑consequence animal and human disease threats. Since 2019, Richard has served as the Assurance, Biosafety and Containment Manager for the National Biocontainment Laboratory (NBL) within the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). In this role, he leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for the safe, compliant, and efficient operation of New Zealand’s highest‑level containment facilities (PC3/BSL3+). Prior to his current role, Richard held several senior leadership positions within diagnostic laboratories in New Zealand and the UK. Across these roles, he led diagnostic service delivery for biosecurity investigations, diagnostic testing, national disease responses, and research. Widely respected in the international biosafety and high‑containment community, Richard contributes to various boards, committees, and specialist working groups. He is a Board Director and former President of the Association of Biosafety for Australia and New Zealand (ABSANZ), a member of the ad hoc World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Manual biosafety and biosecurity chapter review group, and an active member of several global high‑containment laboratory networks. From 2012 to 2019 he also served as a Technical Expert and accredited external laboratory auditor for International Accreditation New Zealand.