Lawrence Tallon has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), effective 1 April 2025.
He will succeed Dame June Raine DBE, who is retiring after leading the agency since 2019.
Tallon currently serves as deputy chief executive at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and managing director of the Shelford Group, which represents top NHS teaching hospitals in England.
Previously, he was director of strategy, planning, and performance at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and worked within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) alongside ministers and NHS leaders.
As MHRA chair, Tallon will lead the organisation’s work to “accelerate patient access to innovative medicines and medical devices while maintaining the highest standards of safety and effectiveness,” DHSC said.
Health secretary Wes Streeting called Tallon’s appointment “an important new chapter for MHRA,” emphasising the agency’s critical role in making the NHS fit for the future.
He said: “There is a revolution taking place in life sciences, with new innovative medicines developed more frequently than ever before.
“We need MHRA to work much faster so patients can benefit as soon as possible, and I’m confident that Lawrence is the man for the job.”
Streeting also extended his gratitude to Dame June and wished her “all the best in her retirement.”
Professor Anthony Harnden, chair of MHRA, praised Tallon as “an impressive leader” with a wealth of experience from across the healthcare sector, nationally and globally.
“I look forward to working with him to maintain the UK as a global centre of excellence in life sciences and strengthening safety systems in the best interests of patients and the public,” he said.
Harnden also extended deep gratitude to Dame June, acknowledging her pivotal role in steering MHRA through the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit.
“June’s leadership and unwavering commitment to patient and public health cannot be overstated,” he added.
