Genomics England has announced that its chair, Sir John Chisholm, will step down on January 29 and that Jonathan Symonds CBE has been appointed to take over the role.
The appointment comes following the success of the 100,000 Genomes Project, as Sir John, who has led the company since its inception in 2013, indicated his decision to leave to the Board once Genomics England achieved its five-year ambition to sequence 100,000 whole genomes in early December.
The 100,000 Genomes Project sequenced 100,000 genomes from around 85,000 people participants who are NHS patients with a rare disease, their families, and patients with cancer, aiming to create a new genomic medicine service for the NHS, transforming the way people are cared for.
Jonathan Symonds has more than 30 years’ experience across a spectrum of life science enterprises and as senior non-executive director on the Genomics England Board, he has been part of Genomics England since 2014 and increasingly engaged in the oversight of Genomics England’s forward plans.
Commenting on his appointment, Jonathan Symonds added: “I am delighted to accept the honour of becoming Genomics England’s Chair. Sir John’s shoes will be hard to fill. We have an exciting challenge ahead in partnership with the NHS, as we continue our efforts to prevent disease, unlock new treatments, improve and accelerate diagnosis and to help patients receive the best care tailored to their needs.”
