Lawrence became the chief executive of the MHRA in April 2025. He joined the agency at a pivotal time for UK healthcare and life sciences, with the Government setting out its aspirations in the 10 Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan, both of which will be enabled by safe, agile and risk-proportionate regulation of medicines, novel treatments and technologies. Lawrence has described his plans for the MHRA to set the gold standard in safety and surveillance, to accelerate access to new medicines and treatments and to make a major contribution to research and innovation in UK life sciences.

Before joining the MHRA, Lawrence spent 5 years as deputy chief executive at Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT) NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest and most prestigious healthcare provider organisations in the UK. During Covid-19, he secured vital international supplies of medical equipment for the Trust and the wider UK. He led the successful merger of GSTT with the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals in 2021, creating a power-house of cardio-respiratory medicine and research. His role included oversight of the organisation’s strategy, technology, innovation, commercialisation and multiple major strategic change programmes.

In the decade prior to that, Lawrence worked in a range of executive strategy and leadership roles in university hospitals in the UK and Middle East. He was director of strategy, planning and performance at University Hospitals Birmingham, managing director of the Shelford Group of UK university hospitals and an executive director at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar, one of the leading academic medical centres in the Middle East.

Lawrence began his career working for the UK Government in Whitehall, as a fast stream civil servant at the Department of Health and Social Care, before working for the Secretary of State for Health and running the headquarters of the NHS chief executive. He worked on a range of high profile national policy issues, working across Government and with No.10 Downing Street, Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Cabinet Office, and becoming a senior civil servant within the Department of Health and Social Care.

He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in history from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and a Master’s degree in global health policy from Imperial College London. He is a fellow of the Sciana Network of European Health Leaders.