Norway’s Ambassador for Global Health, Dr John-Arne Røttingen, has been appointed CEO of the charitable foundation Wellcome, one of the world’s largest funders of science aimed at solving urgent health issues, the body announced on Wednesday.

Røttingen, who will assume the position in January 2024, has had a versatile and varied career. He started out as a medical scientist, and then trained as a medical doctor before moving into the fields of infectious disease epidemiology and global health.

He received his MD and PhD from the University of Oslo, an MSc from Oxford University and an MPA from Harvard University. 

He has already had a long association with Wellcome. He was the founding CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI), which Wellcome helped to launch in 2017.

He was also CEO of the Research Council of Norway, where he worked with Wellcome and European funders to accelerate open access to research publishing. His current position is in Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Røttingen has also led the steering groups for the Ebola vaccine trial in Guinea and the COVID-19 WHO Solidarity Trial, as well as the Lancet Series on access and sustainable effectiveness of antimicrobials. He has worked in academia and co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications.

He is currently on the boards of Gavi, the vaccine alliance, PATH, the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). 

“Wellcome believes in the power of science to build a healthier future for everyone, and that science delivers the greatest change through collaborative action across society,” said Wellcome board chairperson Julia Gillard.

“John-Arne’s career and experience exemplify these beliefs. He has built a reputation as one of the world’s most effective and respected figures at the interface between science and advocacy at the highest global levels.”

I am honoured and very excited about being selected as CEO of @wellcometrust. I feel privileged to be able to work with Wellcome colleagues to bring discovery science and challenge driven science to society to build a healthier future https://t.co/pHz6uDfbp3

— John-Arne Røttingen (@jarottingen) October 11, 2023

Røttingen said that he had long admired Wellcome’s  “inspiring work to bring the potential of science and discovery to society to build a healthier future”. 

“Philanthropy has a critical role to play in catalysing and complementing public and private research spend to improve health globally. I know well from my own experience the power of the support Wellcome gives science and scientists, backing basic research and ensuring transformative research achieves impact in the world,” he added.

Wellcome has committed to spending £16 billion on science until 2032, supporting discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and focusing on three key health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.

Wellcome is self-funded through returns from its investment portfolio, which has grown significantly in recent years to £38bn.