Domainex welcomes Hayley French as CEO as it plots growth

Domainex has announced the appointment of Hayley French as its new CEO.

Domainex, a UK-based CRO (contract research organisation), was founded in 2002 as a spin-out company from University College London, Birkbeck College London, and the Institute of Cancer Research.

Hayley French’s arrival follows the departure of Tom Mander, CEO from 2020 until late 2024. She is a qualified attorney with a background in microbiology and has held leadership positions in multiple pharmal and biotech organisations.

Eddy Littler, chairman of the fully integrated drug discovery service company, had been acting CEO following ther departure of Tom Mander.

Dr Littler said: “We are excited to welcome Hayley to Domainex.”

He added: “Her profound understanding of the biotechnology landscape, strategic vision, and exemplary leadership skills render her the ideal individual to steer Domainex through its next stage of growth. We are confident that under her stewardship, Domainex will continue to deliver exceptional value to its clients and partners.”

Hayley will work across both the Chesterford Research Park and Unity Campus sites operated by Domainex.

“I am honoured to join Domainex and lead this talented team,” Hayley said. “Domainex is renowned for its innovative approach to drug discovery and its unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality results. I am eager to collaborate with the Domainex team to build upon this strong foundation and drive further success.”

She describes her immediate priorities as “to build on the success of our existing client base and work collaboratively to navigate complex drug discovery programmes”.

Domainex provides tailored discovery solutions from target expression through to the identification of pre-clinical candidates.

Its contributions to drug discovery partnerships have underpinned more than 60 patent applications for novel drug candidates.

First up, adds Hayley, is “attending BIO in the US as part of the British Department for Business and Trade delegation to meet our existing customers and potential new customers and using the opportunity to discuss our new service launches”.