The government has appointed Sir Richard Sykes as the new chair
of the Vaccine Taskforce.
Sir Richard will use his extensive experience in biotechnology
and pharmaceuticals to lead the significant programme of work to
find, procure and deliver vaccines to support the largest
vaccination programme in British history.
He has previously held senior positions in a number of
internationally recognised scientific, pharmaceutical and medical
organisations, within both public and private sectors – including
as chairman of organisations including the Royal Institution of
Great Britain, King Edward VII’s Hospital, UK Stem Cell
Foundation and Singapore Biomedical Sciences International
Advisory Council.
Sir Richard also conducted an independent review of the strategy
and goals of the Vaccine Taskforce in December 2020.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
The Vaccine Taskforce has done a tremendous job of securing the
world’s first clinically-proven vaccines for COVID-19 and it’s
fantastic that Sir Richard will be joining our renowned team with
his extensive expertise.
I look forward to working closely with him going forward to
ensure the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to save lives
and the country is well prepared for any health threats for years
to come.
Sir Richard Sykes said:
I’m delighted to be joining a brilliant team to continue its
incredibly important work on the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
I am determined to make sure the UK remains in the best possible
position to beat this virus and has the tools it needs to respond
to future public health threats.
Sir Richard will be overseeing the Vaccine Taskforce’s work as
the UK’s vaccination programme continues at unprecedented pace.
This includes helping with preparations for any potential booster
programmes and working to make the UK a global centre of
excellence for the next generation of vaccines.
The government established the taskforce in March 2020, and it
reports directly to the Health and Social Care Secretary.
Over 41 million people in total across the UK have now been
vaccinated with a first dose (79.2%), while more than 29 million
people have had both doses (56.9%).
Background information
Sir Richard is a non-executive director of PDS Biotechnology. He
is the president of the Research and Development Society and the
Chancellor of Brunel University.
He was the chairman of NHS London, chairman of Imperial College
Healthcare NHS Trust, chairman and CEO of GlaxoSmithKline,
vice-chairman of Lonza Group, NetScientific plc, senior
non-executive director of Eurasian National Resources Corp,
director of Economic Development Board International (EDBI) Pte
Ltd and a senior independent director of Rio Tinto plc.
He was the rector of Imperial College London. He is also a mentor
at the Chairman Mentors international (CMi), who are global
leaders in mentoring.
