Executive Director

 

Pierre Meulien
Pierre Meulien

Pierre Meulien is Executive Director of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a €5 billion public-private partnership between the European Union and the European pharmaceutical industry.

He is responsible for the overall management of our programme, which is working to improve and accelerate the entire medicines development process by facilitating collaboration between the key players involved in health research, including universities, pharmaceutical and other companies, patient organisations, and medicines regulators. Dr Meulien joined IMI in September 2015.

From 2010 to 2015, Dr Meulien was President and CEO of Genome Canada, where he raised significant funds for the organisation and oversaw the launch of novel projects and networks in the field of genomics-based technologies. Prior to that from 2007 to 2010, he was Chief Scientific Officer for Genome British Columbia.

From 2002 to 2007, Dr Meulien served as founding CEO of the Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre (now Molecular Medicine Ireland), which linked medical schools and teaching hospitals in Dublin to build a critical mass in molecular medicine and translational research.

Dr Meulien also worked in the private sector with the French biotechnology company Transgene, and with Aventis Pasteur (now Sanofi Pasteur). He has a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Edinburgh and carried out a post-doctoral fellowship at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.

Dr Meulien has Irish nationality.

  • Read the press release on Pierre Meulien's appointment as IMI Executive Director
  • Read an interview with Pierre published on his first day at IMI
  • Read an interview with Pierre published one year after taking office

Declaration of interests

How is the IMI Executive Director appointed?

The Executive Director was appointed by the IMI Governing Board on a proposal from the European Commission.

In line with normal practice for senior posts in the EU institutions, the recruitment process for the new IMI Executive Director was handled by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security. The vacancy notice was published in the Official Journal on 18 June 2014, with a deadline for applications of 16 July 2014.

The European Commission set up a pre-selection panel, in which a representative of EFPIA participated as an observer. This panel analysed all applications and identified the candidates with the best profile. These candidates were invited for an interview with the pre-selection panel.

Following the interviews, the pre-selection panel drew up its conclusions and proposed a list of candidates for further interviews with the European Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA). Candidates called for an interview with the CCA were also asked to participate in a full-day assessment centre run by external human resources experts. On the basis of the interview and results of the assessment centre report, the CCA established a shortlist of candidates. This shortlist was submitted to the relevant Member of the European Commission who interviewed these candidates.

The European Commission then adopted a shortlist of the most suitable candidates, which it passed on to the IMI Governing Board. The Governing Board interviewed the shortlisted candidates and nominated the Executive Director.

Following an initial term of three years, Dr Meulien’s mandate as Executive Director was extended for a period of 4 years, until 15 September 2022, in accordance with Article 8(5) of the IMI2 JU Statutes.

 

Past IMI Executive Directors

 

Irene Norstedt

Irene Norstedt (2014-2015)
Irene Norstedt was seconded to IMI from the European Commission to work as Acting Executive Director from December 2014 to September 2015.  When Pierre Meulien took up his duties as IMI Executive Director, Ms Norstedt returned to her post as Head of Unit in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research & Innovation.
View Irene Norstedt's declaration of interests  from her time in office.

 

Michel Goldman

Michel Goldman (2009 - 2014)
Professor Michel Goldman held the post of IMI Executive Director from September 2009 to December 2014. After leaving IMI, he returned to the Université Libre de Bruxelles where he is a Full Professor.
Download Michel Goldman's declaration of interests  from his time in office.