Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) has announced three new members joining its experienced Board of Directors.
Professor Sir Mike Ferguson is Regius Professor of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee and was knighted in 2019 for services to science. He has served on the board of governors of the Wellcome Trust, including as deputy chair, and on the board of directors of Wellcome Leap. He currently serves on the board of UK Biobank and chairs the board of biotechnology start-up PhaSER Bio.
Mike is also co-director of the Dundee Proteomics Facility, one of the largest in Europe, which accelerates discovery and translational science.
He is a fellow of the Royal Society of London, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academy of Medical Sciences and a member of EMBO.
Professor Maddy Parsons is Dean for Research Excellence Frameworks at King’s College London, having previously held the role of Vice Dean for Impact and Innovation, overseeing academic-industry partnering activities across life sciences and medicine.
Maddy currently chairs the Medical Research Council’s Molecular and Cellular Medicine Board, contributing to shaping national biomedical funding strategies. She also chairs the EuroBioImaging Board and is a member of six other scientific advisory boards for national and international organisations.
Maddy has received several awards for her work and is a fellow of the Royal Microscopy Society and Academy of Medical Sciences.
Professor Sir John Burn has been Professor of Clinical Genetics at Newcastle University since 1991 and leads its Cancer Prevention Programme research group.
He was appointed as a consultant specialist in Newcastle in 1984 and led the regional NHS Genetics Service for 20 years.
John was knighted in 2010 and chosen as one of the first 20 ‘local heroes’ to have a brass plaque on Newcastle Quayside in 2014.
John is a Trustee of the European Hereditary Tumour Group, UNESCO NGO Global Variome and HUGO (the Human Genome Organisation) London. He is Chair of Research and Innovation, NEY Genomics Medicine Service and Chair-Elect of the Prevention and Population Research Committee of Cancer Research UK.
Commenting on the appointments, Dr Robin Brown, Chairman of Medicines Discovery Catapult, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Mike, Maddy and John to MDC’s Board of Directors. Their decades of scientific experience, deep sector knowledge and industry reputation will further bolster our Board and guide MDC to fulfil its mission of reshaping drug discovery for patient benefit.”
Professor Sir Alex Markham, Professor Carole Longson and Professor Chris Reilly will step down from their positions on the MDC Board of Directors in June 2025, having served for over seven years.
Professor Chris Molloy, CEO of Medicines Discovery Catapult, said:
“The whole company thanks Carole, Alex and Chris for their dedicated service to MDC from its foundation. Since then, we have delivered over £1.2bn impact to our sector. They have all played many roles, from governors, guiders and hands-on supporters – particularly during the Covid-19 Lighthouse programme. Our impact is their legacy, and we will remain engaged with them for years to come.”
