Dr. Sam Barrell CBE appointed as CEO of LifeArc
19 Abril 2024 - 10:00AM
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
19 April 2024
Dr. Sam Barrell CBE appointed as CEO of
LifeArc
LifeArc is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Sam
Barrell, CBE, as Chief Executive Officer. Sam’s appointment follows
an extensive international recruitment process.
Sam will join LifeArc from the Francis Crick Institute where she
is currently Deputy CEO with responsibility for strategic
management and operational leadership, as well as deputising for
the Director, Sir Paul Nurse. She joined the Crick in 2017 as Chief
Operating Officer.
Sam brings over 25 years of experience in the life science and
healthcare sectors, and a wealth of knowledge of the activities in
commercial, digital and health tech spaces which are critical to
LifeArc’s strategy. She studied medicine, training as an
anaesthetist and serving in General Practice for many years, and
has held a number of senior leadership positions in the NHS, most
recently as CEO of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. She
has served as a non-executive director of Assura plc and York
Health Economics Consortium, and was a member of the advisory
council of the King’s Fund. Sam received a CBE in 2014 for her
services to healthcare.
Commenting on her appointment, Dr. Barrell said: “It is a great
honour to be joining LifeArc at such an exciting time in its
growth, with the pace and scale of scientific advance offering
unparalleled opportunities to enhance healthcare outcomes for
patients. LifeArc has a unique role to play in helping to translate
scientific innovation and ideas into real benefits for patients,
and I look forward to working with the talented teams at LifeArc
and with its multiple collaborative partners to address unmet
medical challenges.”
Dr. Ian Gilham, Chair of LifeArc, said: “Sam’s experience,
energy and passion for life sciences and healthcare will be
invaluable to LifeArc. Her leadership will drive the organisation
forward, accelerating the discovery of more innovative therapies
and bringing real impact to the patients who need it most. On
behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am delighted to welcome Sam to
LifeArc. We look forward working with her and the Executive Team to
deliver our vision to make life science truly life-changing.
“We are also hugely grateful to Stéphane Maikovsky, who has held
the role of Interim CEO since last October in addition to his
existing responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer. Stéphane has
led the organisation through a period of significant achievements,
including a refreshed strategy, work on the Dementia Accelerator,
continued investments in promising start-up companies, and our
involvement in the PACE collaboration. The Board is pleased to
announce that Stéphane will continue to share his expertise and
leadership with the organisation in his new capacity as Deputy CEO
of LifeArc in addition to his responsibilities as CFO.”
Sam will join LifeArc as CEO on October 1 2024, and Stéphane
will continue to lead the organisation in his capacity as Interim
CEO until then.
Ends
For more information please contact:
Hannah Severyn
Head of Media & PR, LifeArc
Hannah.Severyn@LifeArc.org
About LifeArcLifeArc is a
self-funded, non-profit medical research organisation. We take
science ideas out of the lab and help turn them into medical
breakthroughs that can be life-changing for patients. We have been
doing this for more than 25 years and our work has resulted in five
licensed medicines and a diagnostic for antibiotic resistance.
Our teams are experts in drug and diagnostics
discovery, technology transfer, and intellectual property. Our work
is in translational science – bridging the gap between academic
research and clinical development, providing funding, research and
expert knowledge, all with a clear and unwavering commitment to
having a positive impact on patient lives.
LifeArc, a charity registered in England and
Wales under 1015243 and in Scotland under SC037861.