Emer Cooke

Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency and Chair of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA)

Emer Cooke is as of 16 November 2020 the new Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency, based in Amsterdam.

She also takes the role of Chair of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) for a term of 2 years.

She was the Director responsible for all medical product-related regulatory activities at the World Health Organization in Geneva between November 2016 and November 2020. In this role, Ms Cooke was responsible for leading WHO's global work on regulation of health technologies (medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, vector control products and devices), coordinating the regulatory teams (Prequalification, Regulatory Systems Strengthening, and Safety), and working with member states and international partners to assure the quality, safety and efficacy of appropriate health technologies.

Ms. Cooke is a pharmacist with Masters degrees in Science and Business Administration from Trinity College Dublin. She has over 30 years’ experience in international regulatory affairs and spent 14 years (2002 to 2016) in management positions at the European Medicines Agency as Head of Inspections and Head of International Affairs respectively. From September 1998 to July 2002, she worked in the Pharmaceuticals unit of the European Commission.

Updated: April 2021