The Kennedy Trust is delighted to announce that Dr Stephen Simpson will take over as its new Chief Executive Officer from 1 July 2022. Stephen joins the Trust with a background in medical research and in life sciences research funding.  Most recently, Stephen was Director of Research at Versus Arthritis, where he led teams in the development and implementation of research, including new areas of research translation and partnership funding. During his time at the charity, Stephen championed the development of musculoskeletal research through the creation of new funding initiatives and the promotion of pain research and patient involvement.

The Trust’s Chairman, Professor Sir Stephen Holgate said “we are thrilled to welcome Stephen to the Kennedy Trust team. Stephen’s appointment comes at an exciting time for the Trust as we continue to develop our research funding strategy and expand our focus on world-leading science. The Trust will benefit immensely from Stephen’s wealth of experience and ambition as we embark upon this exciting new chapter together.”

Stephen will take over the leadership of the Trust from Pierre Espinasse who has managed operations at the charity since 2011. The Trust has evolved considerably under Pierre’s expert guidance, most notably through its support of the Kennedy Institute’s relocation from Imperial College London to its current site at the heart of the University of Oxford’s Old Road Campus. Pierre has also overseen the creation of some of the Trust’s key external funding initiatives, including the £2.5M Senior Research Fellowship programme launched in 2017 and the MB PhD scheme which will provide funding for 75 students over 7 years across the universities of Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Sir Stephen expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Board of Trustees, noting that “Pierre’s achievements with the Kennedy Trust over the last 11 years have been truly remarkable. He has guided the charity through a number of major milestones to create the thriving organisation that it is today. Pierre has enabled this extraordinary evolution while retaining the Trust’s ethos of fast decision making and agile and responsive funding. The Trustees are thoroughly indebted to Pierre for his long-standing commitment and dedication.”

Professor Dame Fiona Powrie, Director of the Kennedy Institute, added “Pierre has provided vital support to the Kennedy Institute for more than a decade. We wish him all the best for the future and we look forward to continuing our close relationship with the Kennedy Trust under the expert leadership of Stephen Simpson.”

Pierre and Stephen have been working closely together over the last three months to ensure that operations within the charity continue to run smoothly. We warmly welcome Stephen and thank Pierre for his invaluable contribution to the Trust.