George Morstyn has provided exemplary leadership and outstanding contributions to translating basic science discoveries into medically and commercially important clinical practice. He is one of those rare individuals who has progressed from research to industry in the medical area. As a researcher he was responsible for the discovery of a means of eliciting haemopoietic stem cells in the blood, which is now used worldwide in place of bone marrow transplantation. Subsequently as a senior executive of Amgen he played a foundational role in the implementation of this and other significant medical and commercial products to global markets.