The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has confirmed the reappointment of three non‑executive directors - Mercy Jeyasingham, Dr Junaid Bajwa and Rajakumari Long - with Chair Professor Anthony Harnden welcoming their continued service as the agency finalises a new organisational strategy. The announcement was published on 11 December 2025.
Department of Health and Social Care appointment notices set out the terms: Jeyasingham is reappointed for two years from 1 September 2026; Bajwa and Long are reappointed for one year from the same date. Each role continues with a time commitment of two to three days per month and remuneration of £7,883 per year; none of the appointees has declared political activity.
MHRA’s governance framework makes clear that the Board provides strategic oversight and assurance, while individual regulatory decisions on medicines and medical devices rest with the Chief Executive and Executive Committee. The Board comprises a non‑executive chair, six non‑executive directors and six executives, and is supported by three assurance committees; Jeyasingham chairs the People and Public Engagement committee.
The timing aligns with the agency’s Business Plan for 2025/26 and the final year of the 2023–26 Corporate Plan, which commit to predictable service standards and modernised systems including SafetyConnect and RegulatoryConnect. In parallel, the MHRA is developing a new multi‑year strategy to 2030 through an agency‑led blog series and wider engagement begun in September 2025.
For regulated companies, continuity at Board level supports ongoing reforms such as the International Recognition Procedure for medicines, which operates to 60‑ or 110‑day timetables and delivered a first UK authorisation in 30 days in early 2024.
On medical devices, the MHRA has signalled an Early Access service to accelerate safe availability in areas of unmet need, building on learning from the Innovative Devices Access Pathway. The service is being developed through 2025 and will be implemented under risk‑proportionate regulation.
The reappointments come during leadership changes. Lawrence Tallon took up post as Chief Executive on 1 April 2025, and the agency has created a Chief Medical and Scientific Officer role, appointing Professor Jacob George on 4 November 2025 to drive scientific excellence. Board continuity provides senior oversight as these roles embed.
Operationally, applicants should continue to plan against published UK routes: the national assessment procedure and aligned working with NICE to improve time to access, alongside MHRA’s real‑world evidence dialogue programme to strengthen evidence generation. These programmes remain central to the 2025/26 delivery year.
According to the DHSC notices, the new NED terms take effect from September 2026, meaning the current configuration will span the close of the 2023–26 plan and the development of the next strategy. For policy teams and compliance leads, this offers predictability while the agency progresses its published reform agenda.