Members Announced For The MHRA's Agency Board

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 30 Jun 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Appointments Commission are pleased to announce two new appointments and two reappointments of non-executive directors to the Agency Board.

Sir John Lilleyman is a newly appointed member to the Agency Board. He is currently a Department of Health nominated director of the Appointing Authority for Independent Research Ethics Committees. He has spent 30 years as a consultant paediatric haematologist and oncologist as well as holding the post of medical director for the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). In that role he assumed responsibility for the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees and continued as a part-time strategic advisor following retirement in 2007.

Mr John Williams, CBE, is a newly appointed member to the Agency Board. A consultant surgeon specialising in oral and maxillofacial surgery, he was president of both the British and European Associations as well as the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He has also previously been appointed as the chairman of the Committee on the Safety of Devices.

Ms Lisa Arnold has been a non-executive director of the MHRA since 2003 and has held the position of chair of the Risk and Audit Committee since 2007. She holds a number of board appointments, particularly relating to occupational pension schemes. In the voluntary sector she is a trustee of The Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (RAFT), a medical research charity, and is a governor of Cheltenham Ladies College. Lisa also has more than fifteen years experience in investment banking as a senior pharmaceuticals and healthcare marketing analyst.

Mr Michael Fox has been a non-executive director of the MHRA since 2003. He is currently a member of the MHRA's Risk and Audit Committee and chairman of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust. Prior to this, he held a number of chief executive positions within the not-for-profit sector and the NHS.

The Agency Board of the MHRA is responsible for monitoring the implementation of ministers' objectives for the strategic direction of the Agency, taking into account the perspectives of its stakeholders and advising ministers and the Agency accordingly.

The Agency Board is chaired by the MHRA Chairman, Alasdair Breckenridge, and consists of seven non-executive directors and the chief executive officer.

Ms Lisa Arnold and Mr Michael Fox have been re-appointed for a further three years. Sir John Lilleyman and Mr John Williams are newly appointed for a four year term. All appointees are paid a remuneration of £7,247 per annum, plus expenses.

Appointments to the Agency Board are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if declared) to be made public. No appointees declared any political activity.

Notes

1. The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone - the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry - to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, so that we can investigate and take any necessary action. http://www.mhra.gov.uk

2. Details of the Agency Board is available on the MHRA website

3. Details of the Appointments Commission is available on their website http://www.appointments.org.uk/

4. Details of the Nolan Recommendations can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments website http://www.publicappointmentscommissioner.org/

Source
MHRA