EMA nominates Emer Cooke as executive director to replace Guido Rasi
The EMA’s management board on Thursday nominated Emer Cooke from a short list of candidates to succeed Guido Rasi as the agency’s next executive director.
Guido RasiRasi, whose second term as EMA executive director ends on November 15, served as Executive Director from 2011-2014 before being forced to step down after the European Union Civil Service Tribunal annulled his appointment.
With the nomination in hand, Cooke is set to address the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) on 13 July 2020 before her formal appointment can proceed. Once appointed, Cooke will be the fourth executive director in EMA’s 25-plus year history.
Cooke is currently the director of the Regulation and Prequalification Department at the WHO, where she leads the international agency’s work on health technology regulation, standards, prequalification and regulatory systems strengthening.
Before her work at the WHO, Cooke began her career as a regulator in 1988 as a pharmaceutical assessor at Ireland’s former National Drugs Advisory Board before moving to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). From 1998-2002, Cooke worked for the European Commission’s pharmaceuticals unit before a long stint at EMA through 2016. During her tenure at EMA, Cooke served as head of inspections and head of international affairs, among other positions.
Cooke’s educational background includes a degree in pharmacy, as well as master’s degrees in science and business administration, from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
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