MHRA appoints Stephen Lightfoot as its new chair

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has appointed Stephen Lightfoot as its new chair.

He will succeed Prof Michael Rawlins GBE, Kt who has been the chair of the agency board since 2014.

Commenting on his new role which starts on from September 1, Lightfoot commentted: “I feel very privileged to have been appointed as the fourth chair of the MHRA board and to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Sir Alasdair Breckenridge, Sir Gordon Duff and Sir Michael Rawlins, as we embark on the next chapter for the agency.

“The agency has a world class reputation and my ambition is for us to become an “enabler” in the UK health system by developing new regulatory processes which are proportionate, evidence-based and transparent, so that patients can gain earlier and safer access to new medical products than ever before.”

Lightfoot has been a non-executive director of the agency since 2015 and is also deputy chair of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and non-executive chair of Sussex Primary Care Limited.

Before joining the board, he had a 30-year career in the life sciences industry working on the development and commercialisation of a wide range of medicines and medical devices in UK and global healthcare companies.

Lightfoot's most recent executive roles were general manager of the global pharmaceutical diagnostics business of GE Healthcare, managing director of the UK pharmaceutical business of Daiichi Sankyo and commercial director of the UK pharmaceutical and medical device business of Schering Healthcare.