Oxford Nanopore announces senior leadership changes

Oxford Nanopore Technologies today announced that Rosemary Sinclair Dokos has been appointed as Chief Product and Marketing Officer and Dr Lakmal Jayasinghe has been appointed as Chief Scientific Officer, effective immediately. Rosemary and Lakmal succeed Clive Brown, Chief Officer of Technology, Innovation, and Products, who has stepped down to pursue new projects. Clive will be available to the business on an advisory basis to support an effective transition.


Dr Gordon Sanghera, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Nanopore, commented:

“Rosemary and Lakmal have played an integral role in the research, development and execution of our technology vision for many years. They bring extensive skills in innovation and product development, and the leadership of highly skilled technical teams. These span the most cutting-edge innovation to the deployment of mature products destined for regulated markets – critical to creating stakeholder value. Their knowledge, perspective and vision will advance our innovation leadership and fuel the continuation of our growth journey."

“I would like to thank Clive for his profound contributions to the development of the technology and the growth of the business over the past 16 years. He established the company’s distinct vision of distributed, accessible sequencing. As well as fostering an internal culture of cutting-edge innovation, he drove the building of a community of pioneering scientists who everyday make new scientific discoveries on our sensing platform. His vision and leadership to drive his team’s relentless pursuit of pushing technological boundaries has shaped Oxford Nanopore from the early stage into the innovative force it is today. We continue to deliver against this vision and will carry forward his drive to deploy big ideas and solve big problems.”

Rosemary Sinclair Dokos, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, commented:

“I feel privileged to take on this new role at Oxford Nanopore and continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible with our technology. The focus remains on pairing our relentless innovation engine with increasingly robust, customer-focussed solutions that can unlock data-rich insights across research, clinical and applied markets to drive stakeholder value. I am excited to continue leading our highly talented and ambitious development, product and marketing teams as we focus on creating accessible, powerful solutions that empower users to have meaningful impact in healthcare, the environment and beyond.”

Dr Lakmal Jayasinghe, Chief Scientific Officer, commented:

“I’m honoured to step into the role of Chief Scientific Officer. Oxford Nanopore is uniquely positioned to deliver innovative multiomic solutions through a single platform, profoundly impacting research worldwide. With our strong, collaborative scientific team and an unwavering commitment to innovation, I am excited to continue our journey, championing pioneering research and deepening our connections with the global scientific community to fully unlock the potential of nanopore sensing technology to drive stakeholder value.”

Clive Brown, former Chief Officer of Technology, Innovation, and Products at Oxford Nanopore, commented:

“It has been a privilege to work alongside Gordon, Spike and the leadership team, and I’m proud of all that we have achieved over the last 16 years. Given our progress, I am now pursuing my next professional challenge. Rosemary’s focus on transformative product experiences and Lakmal’s pioneering work in multiomics put the company in a strong position for the next phase of its development. I would particularly like to thank the user community, who continue to work so hard to help us improve and innovate the technology to enable them to perform breakthrough science. I remain a dedicated shareholder and look forward to seeing the Company continue to go from strength to strength.”

Rosemary has more than 18 years’ experience in innovation, including product management and commercial functions. She joined Oxford Nanopore in 2014 and has been a pivotal force in driving the Company's product strategy and execution, overseeing the development of Oxford Nanopore's platform technologies, including the recent PromethION 2 and GridION Q-Line launches. In her new role, Rosemary will continue leading the development of products that include new multiomic, clinical, biopharma and applied industrial applications, in addition to platform technology innovations. These will emphasise optimised user experience and support Oxford Nanopore’s vision to make its distributed sensing platform ubiquitous in support of human health, agriculture, and the environment. She also leads the marketing function, with its focus on both technical and commercial communications and the building of customer communities.

Lakmal is a highly respected, world-leading nanopore and protein sensing scientist and scientific leader, with more than 18 years' experience. He joined Oxford Nanopore at the beginning of 2007 and has been responsible for all biological research and development projects at Oxford Nanopore. Lakmal will continue to lead efforts to integrate new multiomic capabilities, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, into the Company's platform. Lakmal’s deep-rooted connections with the global academic community and his relentless drive for innovation have been crucial in maintaining the marketing-leading capabilities of the nanopore platform. Moving forward, he will focus on scientific and platform advancement in addition to nurturing new leadership within his team, ensuring that Oxford Nanopore attracts and develops diverse technical talent from multidisciplinary backgrounds.