Oxford Nanopore Technologies has named Francis Van Parys as its next chief executive, replacing founder Gordon Sanghera who has led the FTSE 250 firm since its inception in 2005.
The London-listed company, which develops molecular sensing technology based on nanopores, said Van Parys will join the business and its board as an executive director on 2nd March 2026.
He arrives with more than two decades of senior leadership experience in life sciences and is currently president and CEO of Radiometer, the acute-care diagnostics specialist owned by Danaher.
Before Radiometer, he held senior roles at Cytiva and GE Healthcare, overseeing growth across Europe, Asia and North America.
Sanghera will remain with the group in an advisory role through to early 2027 to support an orderly handover.
He has guided the company through milestones including a 2021 IPO, an inclusion in the respected FTSE 250 index in 2024 and a market cap of over £2 billion. It is now worth £1.2bn.
He initially set up the University of Oxford spinout after spending 16 years as an R&D director at US-based healthcare giant Abbott.
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“We are delighted to welcome Francis Van Parys as the next CEO,” said Duncan Tatton-Brown, chair of Oxford Nanopore.
“We believe his global life sciences leadership and deep regulatory expertise, combined with a proven ability to scale innovation-driven businesses make him a strong fit for the next phase of growth. His appointment follows a comprehensive succession process, led by the nomination committee with an independent search firm.
“The board looks forward to working with Francis as he builds on strong foundations of innovation to lead the Company into its next chapter of growth and impact.
“I would like to reiterate my thanks to Gordon for his leadership, vision and unwavering commitment to building Oxford Nanopore over the last 20 years.”
Van Parys added: “I’m excited to join Oxford Nanopore at such an important stage in its development. The company is delivering strong growth, underpinned by its differentiated sensing platform and expanding global customer base.
“With a substantial market opportunity ahead, I look forward to building on this strong foundation, driving innovation that shapes trends in global genomics and enhancing operational execution across the business to deliver value for the company and for all our stakeholders.”
Sanghera said: “Leading Oxford Nanopore for more than two decades has been an extraordinary privilege.
“From an idea that single-molecule sensing could be done differently, we’ve built a company that created a new category of multi-omic analysis.
“I’m confident Francis will build on the strong foundations of innovation and growth to lead Oxford Nanopore to even greater success.”