Dr Jonathan Fennelly-Barnwell appointed Director of Approvals

We are delighted to announce that after a highly competitive and rigorous external recruitment process, Dr Jonathan Fennelly-Barnwell has been appointed to the substantive post of Director of Approvals at the HRA.

Jonathan has been serving as interim Director of Approvals since January 2026 following the departure of Dr Janet Messer to take up a senior role at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

Jonathan has significant experience in research ethics, collaboration and operations and has worked at the HRA since 2011. He was previously the Deputy Director of the Approvals service, a position he has held since 2018.

The Director of Approvals is responsible for leading the HRA’s regulatory approvals services, ensuring the effective, timely and proportionate delivery of health and social care research approvals across England, as well as our responsibility to coordinate and standardise research regulation across the UK, working with our partners.

Jonathan brings an enormous amount of experience, and expertise to the role and has already made a huge contribution to our organisation and the approvals regulatory landscape. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jonathan on being appointed to the role of Director of Approvals.

The Director of Approvals is a very critical role for both the HRA and the sector. Jonathan's appointment comes at a very exciting time for our organisation and the health and social care research sector in the UK. We are getting ready to launch Plan and manage health and care research, which will transform our digital services, and the Director of Approvals role will be pivotal to preparing our staff and volunteers for the roll out of our new digital systems.

This year has also seen the introduction of the new clinical trials regulations and significant progress being made towards the government's target to set up clinical trials within 150 days. Jonathan's vast experience means that he can help build on that momentum and ensure that we continue to deliver against our statutory responsibilities during a period of huge change.

I have had the distinct pleasure of co-creating and working with a brilliant team of staff, since the establishment of the HRA, and it has been an equally profound privilege to work alongside over 900 volunteers who are absolutely essential to the regulation of health and care research. I am delighted to accept the position of Director of Approvals. As well as directing the development of research approvals, building on the successes of the team and my predecessor, Dr Janet Messer, through my ongoing membership of the HRA Board and its Executive Committee, I am looking forward to helping steer and shape the HRA more generally through new challenges and opportunities.