Dr Richard Torbett MBE

Dr Richard Torbett MBE is the Chief Executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). He has held this position since January 2020. Richard has worked in the pharmaceutical industry both in the UK and internationally for nearly two decades. He has a background in the economics of innovation, technology and health care, and has spent his career working on policy issues shaping the future of the global life sciences industry.

Prior to joining the ABPI, Richard was chief economist for EFPIA, the European pharmaceutical trade association from 2012 to 2015. He joined EFPIA from Pfizer, where he worked for six years supporting the company’s international public policy and political interactions outside of the US.

Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, Richard worked as a government economist, in a range of posts at the DTI, Cabinet Office and the European Commission.

Richard serves on the Life Sciences Council as well as the boards of the Accelerated Access Collaborative and the Office for the Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR). He is a member of the Board of Trustees and a Board Director for the Office of Health Economics (OHE).

Richard completed his PhD at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex in 2001.

Richard was awarded an MBE for his services to Life Sciences and to the Pharmaceutical Industry in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours.