At its 13 March meeting, EMA’s Management Board elected Rui Santos Ivo as chair of the Board for a three-year period.
Rui Santos Ivo takes over from Lorraine Nolan, Chief Executive of the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), who will complete her mandate as chair of the Board on 21 March 2025.
Mr Santos Ivo is president of the Portuguese National Authority of Medicines and Healthcare Products (Infarmed) and an associate professor of medicines regulation at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Pharmacy. He holds a post-graduate degree in health management, health law and pharmaceutical legislation from the University of Lisbon. He has been a member of EMA’s Management Board since 2016 and has served as its vice-chair since October 2024.
> “It is a great honour to be appointed to lead EMA’s Management Board. The times we live in, with rapid changes, an increasingly complex environment and major legislative and regulatory developments coming our way, show how important it is for EMA to be agile and efficient, taking full leadership and responsibility in safeguarding our high EU standards of human and animal health protection, and serving European citizens.
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> As chair, together with my fellow board members, I will prioritise the essential partnership between EMA, the national agencies and the European Commission, while jointly upholding the strong international reputation of the EMA as a reference regulator.”
> "I am delighted to welcome Rui as the new chair of our Management Board. Rui brings a deep understanding of the European medicines regulatory system and has extensive experience within our network. His knowledge will be crucial as EMA moves into its next strategic phase, including implementing our network strategy to 2028.
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> I also want to express my profound gratitude to Lorraine Nolan for her exceptional leadership during her tenure as chair. Her vision and unwavering commitment have significantly strengthened the network’s capacity to protect public health across Europe."
A new vice-chair of the Board will be elected at its next meeting in June 2025.