Our President - Sir Richard Sykes DSc FRS FMedSci
Sir Richard Sykes
became President of the R&D Society in July 2002.
Since December 2008 he has been Chairman of NHS London. Before joining NHS London, Sir Richard was Rector of Imperial College London, a position he held for six years.
Prior to Imperial, he had athirty year career in pharmaceutical industry with Glaxo, subsequently Glaxo Wellcome, where he was Chairman and Chief Executive, and then GlaxoSmithKline which he left as Chairman in 2002. He had a distinguished career in pharmaceutical R&D, which included Director of Microbiology of the Squibb Institute for Medical Research, New Jersey, and Group Research and Development Director, Glaxo plc.
Sir Richard received his knighthood in the 1994 New Year's Honours list for services to the pharmaceutical industry. He was awarded the Society's Duncan Davies Memorial Medal in 1997.
Sir Richard serves on a number of scientific, higher education and government committees both in the UK and abroad. He also holds a number of degrees and awards from institutions both in the UK and overseas. Sir Richard is a Fellow of the Royal Society and Academy of Medical Sciences, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Royal College of Pathologists and Royal College of Physicians. He is a Fellow of Imperial College School of Medicine, King's College London, a Fleming Fellow at Lincoln College and, an Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales, Cardiff and the University of Central Lancashire.