James Mead

James was appointed on 1st February 2019. James has held a variety of highly relevant Finance leadership roles over a 16 year career with AstraZeneca Plc. As Chief Financial Officer of AstraZeneca Netherlands – a $200 million turnover business – he was a core member of a management team accountable for delivery of stretching annual P&L targets and other balanced scorecard objectives during a period of significant change. As R&D Portfolio Finance Director he was responsible for financial analysis of the entire R&D portfolio in order to support decision-making at the CEO-chaired AZ Portfolio Investment Board. He has been the Finance Director of multiple clinical development project teams, guiding assessment of the valuation impact of key decisions such as clinical trial design, commercial launch strategy and product lifecycle management. Additionally, James has gained capital markets experience through positions in AstraZeneca’s Investor Relations and Corporate Finance teams. James holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and a First Class honors degree in Biochemistry, both awarded by Cardiff University. He is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.