Emer Cooke appointed as new EMA Executive Director

25.06.2020 14:21

The Board of the European Medicines Agency has appointed Emer Cooke as the agency's new Executive Director. At an extraordinary virtual meeting on June 25, the Board of Directors selected Emer Cooke from a shortlist of candidates drawn up by the European Commission.

Cooke will now be asked to make a statement to the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) on July 13, 2020. The appointment of the new Executive Director will take place after this meeting.

Irish national Emer Cooke is currently Director of the Regulatory and Prequalification Department at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, a position she has held since November 2016. In this role, she leads WHO's global work on health technology regulation, including prequalification, strengthening regulatory systems and safety activities. Her role also includes ensuring the quality, safety, effectiveness and performance of health technologies in close collaboration with Member States and international partners.

The qualified pharmacist has over 30 years of experience in international regulatory affairs, including 18 years in management positions. She worked for the Pharmaceutical Department of the European Commission from 1998 to 2002 and at the EMA between 2002 and 2016, where her roles included Head of Inspections and Head of International Affairs.