We are excited to welcome Dr Sam Barrell, CBE, as she officially joins the LifeArc team today as our new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Sam joins us from the Francis Crick Institute, where she was Deputy CEO. She 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 also held several 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.
Sam said, “I’m thrilled to join LifeArc, where our mission to address underserved health challenges by advancing science and innovation is deeply inspiring. Together with the talented teams at LifeArc and our collaborative partners, we are committed to harnessing our drive and purpose to deliver breakthroughs for the patients who need them the most.”
As CEO, Sam will be responsible for helping drive our activities and strategy forward, accelerating the discovery of more innovative therapies and bringing real impact to patients. We look forward to working with Sam and her experience and passion for life sciences will be invaluable.
Ian Gilham, Chair of the Board of Trustees at LifeArc, added, “Sam’s experience as a physician, and her 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. I am delighted to welcome Sam to LifeArc and we look forward to 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 for his excellent work as Interim CEO and we’re pleased 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.”
Media contact
Hannah Severyn
Head of Media and PR at LifeArc
