Institute of Cancer Research Chief Executive to become Deputy Chairman of Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust today announces that Professor Peter Rigby, Chief Executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, London, will take up the position of Deputy Chairman of the Trust’s Board of Governors in October.
Professor Rigby has been a Governor of the Trust since January 2008. He will take over as Deputy Chairman from Professor Adrian Bird of the University of Edinburgh, whose ten-year tenure as a Governor is coming to an end.
Professor Rigby has been Chief Executive of the Institute of Cancer Research since 1999. He is Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of London and works on the regulation of gene expression during the development of the embryo. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society this year, and is also a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
He has been a member of advisory committees for the UK's major biomedical research funders, including the Medical Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Cancer Research UK and other research charities, as well as numerous biotechnology companies. He is a non-executive director of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, a member of the Council of Marie Curie Cancer Care, and a Trustee of the University of London.
Sir William Castell, Chairman of the Wellcome Trust, says: "We are delighted that Peter will shortly become our new Deputy Chairman. He has extensive knowledge and experience of the biomedical field, both in the UK and internationally. Peter will be instrumental in helping the Wellcome Trust implement its visionary ten-year strategic plan, which was launched this year.
"We would like to thank Adrian for the outstanding work he has carried out on behalf of the Wellcome Trust since first joining its Board of Governors ten years ago. The Trust's contribution to biomedical science continues to grow thanks to the hard work and dedication of people such as Adrian."
Professor Rigby says he is delighted to be taking up the position of Deputy Chairman.
"It is an immensely exciting time for both the Wellcome Trust and the biomedical research field in general, ten years on from the unravelling of the human genome," he says. "The Wellcome Trust is an exceptional organisation and I am delighted to be given the opportunity to help implement its new strategy and to shape its future direction."
About the Board of Governors
The Board of Governors of The Wellcome Trust Limited, the corporate trustee of the Wellcome Trust, carries out the charitable objects of the Wellcome Trust as laid out in the Trust's constitution.
For full details of the current Board, please visit our website.
About the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global charity dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.