Stuart Ward steps down as F4E Governing Board Chair

During the latest Governing Board (GB) meeting on 8-9 June, the GB Chair, Stuart Ward, submitted his resignation due to personal reasons. All GB members expressed their appreciation for his important contribution to F4E over the previous four years as Chair. ”Stuart has been an excellent chair of the GB and has supported F4E in many ways – he has an impressive ability to steer the discussions in the GB towards a consensus and constructive conclusion”, said F4E Acting Director Pietro Barabaschi.

Chair of the Governing Board since 2011, Stuart Ward was previously the GB representative for the United Kingdom since F4E was created in 2007.  His background in physics and experience as Director of Corporate Services at the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, was well suited to the mission of F4E. His calm and collected nature has been appreciated by F4E staff and European colleagues alike. “I have been impressed with Stuart Ward’s level of commitment as a Chair of the Governing Board. I have rarely worked with a Chairman as engaged and thorough”, said Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General, Directorate-General for Research & Innovation of the European Commission. Professor Henrik Bindslev, former Director of F4E said “It was a pleasure to serve together with Stuart Ward in the GB when founding F4E, in the following years in forming the organisation and finally as F4E director reporting to Stuart as the GB Chair”.

Joaquin Sanchez has been appointed as the Acting GB Chair until the end of 2015. “It was a pleasure and a privilege to work together with Stuart in the GB. He had a key role not only during the meetings, where with his bright and effective style he was able to reach consensus in nearly every case, but also in the preparation phase between meetings, with an intensive and effective work in multilateral contacts with all the relevant stakeholders.  I am honoured to take over as GB chair and I know I will have to work hard to stay at Stuart’s level”, said Dr Sanchez.