Recruitment experts hired in search for new CGT Catapult chief

pharmafile.com | November 14, 2026 | Appointment | |  CGT Catapult, R&D, translational research 

Executive search firm Coulter Partners has been contracted to assist in the search for a new chief executive for the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, to succeed Matthew Durdy.

Durdy (pictured), who has been at the helm of the organisation for seven years and worked for CGT Catapult for 15 years, will retire in June 2027

Created in 2012, CGT Catapult has been instrumental in developing the UK’s advanced therapies sector, helping translate research into patient treatments.

“When I joined the Catapult at its inception, the UK had world-class science but no real industry to match it. Today, we have both – we have patients receiving therapies, developed and manufactured here, that would have been impossible a decade ago,” said Durdy.

“It has been the work of an extraordinary team across the Catapult,” he said. “I am proud of what we have built together, and I remain fully committed to the organisation and its mission over the coming months.”

CGT Catapult chair Jim Faulkner paid tribute to Durdy’s role.

“Under his leadership, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult has grown into one of the most respected institutions of its kind, and the UK now has a cell and gene therapy industry that can compete internationally because of the choices he and his team have made,” he said.