Medilink Midlands has announced that its newly forged Board of Directors has appointed Dr Darren Clark as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Darren previously held the position of Chief Executive Officer at Medilink East Midlands.

Darren joined Medilink East Midlands in 2004 and has over 20 years’ experience in the life science sector, the majority gained in industry, at Pharmaceutical Profiles (now Quotient Sciences), with the remainder in academic research at the University of Warwick.

Reflecting on his appointment, Darren said: “I am honoured and excited to have been selected to lead Medilink Midlands.

“What businesses need more than anything at the moment is reliability and assurance. As the newly appointed CEO, I have a deep commitment to strengthen our support to the Midlands life science community.

“Looking forward, we will need to accelerate our strategic approach to ensure we serve all our Patrons, Members and the Midlands life science community as a whole, to the best of our ability in these ever-changing times. Great work has been done, but we must continue to drive the Midlands forward.

“I am very confident we can do this because of the amazing team of people that work at Medilink Midlands, and collectively we have the desire, capabilities, and knowledge to secure more new and exciting initiatives for the benefit of our members.”

As the East and West Midlands come together as Medilink Midlands, a new Board of Directors has been formed by bringing together the former boards of Medilink East and West Midlands, with Prof Martin Levermore DL appointed Chair of the Board, who previously served as Chair on the Medilink West Midlands Board of Directors.

Darren said: “I’m delighted Martin has been appointed as Medilink Midlands Chair. Martin holds an impressive collection of professional responsibilities within the Midlands and brings with him a significant level of knowledge and exposure to the diverse life sciences and med-tech eco-system which will assist in guiding our objectives.

With Martin and our Board of Directors at our side, I have no doubt Medilink Midlands has the right structure in place to progress and develop the Midlands life science offering.”

Martin responded: “As Medilink Midlands enters its next chapter, I look forward to working alongside my fellow Board members to enable bigger and better opportunities to all, and shine a light on the regions remarkable infrastructure of life sciences, med-tech, and health care organisations we boast, here in the Midlands.

During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Medilink Midlands than Darren. A proven leader with a clear business vision and the ability to bring people together. “

Darren added: “Each director brings with them their unique approach and experience, and the appointment of the board represents a significant and exciting step in the growth of the Midlands, offering a new strategic direction.

“I’m delighted to welcome three new business leaders to our Board of Directors, Dr Arash Gadar, Technical Director of Datalink Electronics, Charles de Rohan, CEO of The Binding Site, and Mark Pettitt, former CEO now Non-Executive Director of Kimal. All well respected in the medical technology sector, bringing with them a wealth of valuable industry experiences adding to the breadth of experience possessed by the other Board members. Collectively this Board represents the diversity of the life sciences sector across the Midlands and is well placed to ensure the needs of our members and the wider sector at met.

Commenting on his appointment, Charles said: “I’m delighted to be asked to serve on the Board of this organisation, which in its expanded state should now be even better positioned to help companies develop and grow. I hope that I can provide value to members and would-be members through mentorship and advice, as well as assisting with overall direction for Medilink Midlands. “

Darren concluded: “I’d like to conclude with a message to our members. At the forefront of everything we do, it is our members, and as we move into the officially formed Medilink Midlands membership we will continue to consider the best way to move forwards and we will share our ideas with our members in the coming weeks.

“We aim to develop more organic pathways across the Midlands, and as a single operating model this will be easier to achieve with more effective access to networks, opportunities, and regional recognition of success, all for the benefit of our companies.”

For more information on the Medilink Midlands Board of Directors, please visit https://www.medilinkmidlands.co.uk

For further information about this media release contact Medilink West Midlands Events & Marketing Communications Manager, Zoe Heather by email at zoeh@medilinkwm.co.uk