SIML announces changes to leadership team
Summary by AI BETAClose X
29 September 2026
Syncona Investment Management Limited announces changes to leadership team to support portfolio value creation
- Chris Hollowood takes on the role of Chief Investment Officer, alongside his role as Chief Executive
- Dr Samantha Roberts, former CEO of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), takes up the role of Managing Director
- Roel Bulthuis steps down from his full-time role as Managing Partner, Head of Investments and becomes Executive Partner
Syncona Investment Management Limited (“SIML”), a leading life science investment manager, today announces changes to its leadership team to drive further value creation across the portfolio which SIML manages on behalf of Syncona Limited (“Syncona”), the FTSE 250 life science investor. The leadership changes come as the portfolio enters an important period of clinical maturity, with Syncona’s capital deployment now predominantly focused on companies at clinical stage.
Chris Hollowood will take up the role of Chief Investment Officer, alongside his role as Chief Executive Officer, reflecting a greater focus on Syncona’s investment strategy and activity, alongside actively managing the Syncona portfolio. Dr Samantha (Sam) Roberts will take on the role of Managing Director, where she will focus on using her commercial and reimbursement expertise to drive value creation across the portfolio and future investments as well as manage the organisation day-to-day.
Sam joined SIML in February 2026 as an Executive Partner and is currently a Director on the Board of Spur Therapeutics. She is focused on supporting the investment team and portfolio with commercial strategy and market access for high-impact medicines. Sam has over 20 years’ experience in bringing healthcare innovation to patients through her background as a clinician, payor and regulator, and most recently as Chief Executive of NICE. During her tenure, Sam reshaped NICE to be more agile and innovative, increasing the speed of new medicine assessments and the breadth of technologies evaluated. This operational experience will be key in advancing SIML’s strategy.
Chris Hollowood, Chief Executive and Chief Investment Officer of Syncona Investment Management Limited, said: “We are delighted Sam has moved into the role of Managing Director. Her deep understanding of how medicines reach patients, from clinical evidence through to reimbursement, is exactly the expertise our portfolio companies need throughout their entire life cycle. Her leadership enables me to focus more closely on investment strategy, as our portfolio advances toward key clinical milestones. I believe the combination of SIML's deep expertise in finding and scaling the best UK science and Sam’s experience of advancing medicines to patients, will position our portfolio companies for even greater success.”
Sam Roberts, Managing Director of Syncona Investment Management Limited, said: “Syncona transforms the best of British science into high impact medicines for patients around the world. This requires the vision and scientific insight for which Syncona is well known, but also a deep understanding of what patients want, clinicians will prescribe and payors will reimburse. Over the last six months, I have been hugely impressed by the team here at SIML and am excited to take on the role of Managing Director to increase our focus on this patient, clinician and payor perspective and to help deliver our next chapter and returns for shareholders.”
Additionally, Roel Bulthuis will be stepping down as Managing Partner, Head of Investments, and moving on from his full-time leadership role at Syncona. He will continue as an Executive Partner to support the investment team through his significant experience and network in life sciences venture capital, business development and investment banking. Roel will also retain his Director positions on the Boards of Anaveon, iOnctura and Re-Aim Therapeutics.
Roel joins SIML’s established Executive Partner group that is designed to complement the investment team with deep operating, scientific and biotech-building expertise. This team includes Ken Galbraith, Gwenaelle Pemberton, Hitesh Thakrar, and Paul Sekhri, who bring deep domain experience across regulatory, investment, innovation and financing.
Roel Bulthuis, Executive Partner of Syncona Investment Management Limited, said: "I am proud of what we have built at SIML and the progress the organisation has made. As I transition into my new advisory role, I’m pleased to continue supporting the Syncona portfolio and team, maintaining our focus on delivering value for all our stakeholders.”
Chris Hollowood added: “Roel joined SIML in 2023 whilst the biotech industry was in the midst of a difficult bear market. He led the investment team whilst the portfolio was transformed to today’s predominantly late-stage portfolio, which we are very excited about. I am delighted he will continue as Executive Partner in our evolved leadership structure and look forward to the team benefitting from his continued support alongside the impact he will have in the portfolio.”
Syncona
Annabel Clark
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3981 7940
FTI Consulting
Ben Atwell / Natalie Garland-Collins / Tim Stamper
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3727 1000
About Syncona
Syncona is a leading life science investor focused on transforming patient outcomes by translating frontier science into therapeutic reality. Our investment manager, Syncona Investment Management Limited (SIML), actively manages a maturing portfolio of leading life science companies, which are diversified across development stage, modality and therapeutic area. Syncona is focused on delivering strong risk-adjusted returns to shareholders by building and scaling its portfolio companies to late-stage development, where significant value can be realised. SIML does this by working in close partnership with world-class academic founders and experienced management teams to develop treatments with the potential for transformational patient impact. For more information, please visit www.synconaltd.com.
Forward-looking statements – this announcement contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the portfolio of investments of Syncona Limited. These statements and forecasts involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend upon circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In particular, many companies in the Syncona Limited portfolio are conducting scientific research and clinical trials where the outcome is inherently uncertain and there is significant risk of negative results or adverse events arising. In addition, many companies in the Syncona Limited portfolio have yet to commercialise a product and their ability to do so may be affected by operational, commercial and other risks.
Syncona Limited seeks to achieve returns over the long term. Investors should seek to ensure they understand the risks and opportunities of an investment in Syncona Limited, including the information in our published documentation, before investing.
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