TOPRA Board elections 2025 - candidates and voting

Voting closes at 17.00 BST on Friday 20 September 2024 

All members (excluding Students, Honorary Members and Honorary Fellows) are invited to select who they would like to represent them on the Board to help lead TOPRA into 2025.

The deadline for nominations for the available Board positions has now passed. Two nominations were received for the President-Elect position and a total of five nominations were received for the two vacant Director positions. All Members and Fellows are now invited to vote on the selected candidates and those who receive the most votes will be elected.

Thank you to all who put themselves forward and their peers who supported them.

For more information, please read the TOPRA Board Election procedures.

You can view the personal statement of each candidate and read more information in support of their nomination by clicking on the 'Read full profile' link. Please consider all the candidates and then make your choices.

Top tips 

  • Do not simply vote for the person you know or have heard of
  • Think about the value each candidate will add to the TOPRA Board
  • Consider what skills and experience each candidate can bring to TOPRA
  • Reflect on how each candidate can help TOPRA achieve its strategic goals
  • Deliberate on how each candidate can support the global growth and engagement of membership at a strategic level
  • Take into consideration how each candidate can champion the development of excellence in regulatory affairs 

Every vote matters – make your voice heard!

To learn more about how TOPRA is governed, please visit our Governance page. 

Cast your vote now

Candidates for President-Elect

(Listed alphabetically by surname)

Steve Hayes

Personal statement:

I had the privilege of leading the TOPRA Board in 2020; successfully navigating the organisation through the challenges of anticipated change, and unforeseeable turbulence, to accomplish the goals set for that year.  I purposefully championed delivery of a refreshed strategy and an enhanced governance model to enable TOPRA to thrive and maintain a healthy growth trajectory.  There is now further urgent need to consolidate and sustain such measures.  My commitment will, again, be to ensuring that TOPRA continues to be a fit-for-purpose membership organisation focused on enabling and promoting the very best the healthcare regulatory profession has to offer.

Read full profile

Shekhar Natarajan

Personal statement:

In my industry career of over 25 years, I have been able to closely partner with many key stakeholders from the industry and health authorities on key topics of mutual interest. 

If elected to serve as President-Elect, I would like to further strengthen and extend TOPRA's current reach and connectivity globally to help regulatory professionals in the different geographies benefit from the excellent support and guidance TOPRA is providing in terms of training and career development. 

I also plan to identify opportunities to partner with other bodies such as industry associations on topics of mutual interest thereby maximising resources and elevating TOPRA's visibility. 

Read full profile

Candidates for Director

(Listed alphabetically by surname)

Mehryar Behizad 

Personal statement:

My Regulatory career of more than 25 years has convinced me that regulatory education is a vital part of keeping the momentum in bringing to market ever more advanced treatments and delivery systems. Having worked with both pharma and high technology medical devices and seen the ever more sophisticated use of medical devices to deliver treatments has convinced me that I am in a unique position to advocate closer understanding between the two regulatory branches, especially at a time when the regulatory landscape is being fundamentally reshaped. I will be an ardent advocate for an integrated regulatory approach for pharma and medical devices, ultimately to benefit patients.

Read full profile  

Dr Solange Corriol-Rohou 

Personal statement:

This position is an exciting opportunity to not only share my experience and expertise and meaningfully contribute to TOPRA goals but also to keep the momentum since I have been a TOPRA Board Member these last 2 years.

While I feel I am qualified for this position because of my dedication and achievement record, I do believe I could do more. This is why, if selected I'll be more than happy to discuss the matter and identify what I could be doing next.

Read full profile  

Harriet Edwards

Personal statement:

I have proven experience in various leadership positions across different areas of regulatory affairs, but my strengths lie in communication and strategic thinking. I am most enthusiastic about improving the visibility of our profession to engage and inspire others as well as attract new talent. 

I have been an active member of TOPRA over the last decade including board member at Regulatory Rapporteur and CSci assessor. I have personally benefitted greatly from many TOPRA initiatives, and see the value this has added to my own career. Therefore, I can give a well-rounded view of how TOPRA can support the continued development of our sector.

 

Read full profile

Valeria Graffeo

Personal statement:

Valeria is a FTOPRA who brings to the Board of Directors of TOPRA, an organization for which she has active membership since 2012, a fresh blend of international industry as well as consulting experience. Having worked for more than 15 years in the Life Science industry across local, regional and global regulatory roles, she has developed a comprehensive understanding of the full end-to-end R&D Value Chain and built a strong network of regulatory connections globally. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with family as well as being involved in volunteering and other personal development opportunities.

Read full profile

Sean Russell

Personal statement:

The next generation of regulatory professionals are critical to the future of healthcare and as a TOPRA Board Director I will strive to further regulatory education and understanding across all healthcare stakeholders.

I simultaneously hold regulatory leadership positions in biotech, academia and consultancy which enables me to bring skills to this role far beyond regulatory knowledge, such as broad sector awareness, financial prudence and adaptable communication styles.

As an advocate for continuous development, I am keen to contribute to TOPRA at this pivotal moment in the organizations’ current strategic plan and drive the success of our profession in the future.

Read full profile