HPRA announces Chief Executive Dr Lorraine Nolan to step down from her role in December 2025

The HPRA today announced that its Chief Executive, Dr Lorraine Nolan, will step down from her position at the end of this year to pursue new career options.

Dr Nolan has served as the Chief Executive of the HPRA for over nine years and, by the end of 2025, she will have completed two terms in this leadership role. During her tenure, she has successfully guided the organisation through a significant transformation of its key regulatory functions and an expansion of its operations, elevating the standing of the HPRA on national, European and international levels. In addition, her determined and strategic leadership during Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic ensured the national regulator for medicines and medical devices made a vital contribution to the successful navigation of these challenges.

Dr Nolan has been a significant contributor to the leadership of both medicines and medical device regulation at European level. Through her former position as Chair of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Management Board (2022-2025) and her membership of the Heads of Medicines Agency (HMA) Management Group, she has held many significant roles at this level that have both defined strategy and positively enhanced delivery.

Speaking today, Professor Michael Donnelly, Chair of the HPRA, said “I wish to commend Dr Nolan for her unwavering leadership and dedication to the organisation. Her tenure has been marked by significant achievements and a hugely positive, enduring legacy. I want to express both my personal thanks and that of the Authority to Lorraine for her service and wish her every success with her future endeavours”.

The Authority will shortly commence the process for recruitment of a new Chief Executive of the HPRA to take up the position from January 2026. Dr Nolan will continue in her current role until the end of this year and will support the transition in leadership during this period.