Board of Directors
Richard F. Pops
Chairman
Richard Pops is a widely respected leader in the biopharmaceutical industry who helped shape Alkermes into a leading neuroscience company over his 35 years with the organization. He joined Alkermes as CEO in 1991, at which time there were 20 employees focused on technologies to deliver medicines through the blood-brain barrier. Today, Alkermes is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical drug development company, known for taking on some of the most complex challenges in neuroscience. Mr. Pops recently retired from his role as CEO in July 2026. During his tenure, he grew the company to more than 2,000 employees. He continues to serve as Chairman of the Alkermes plc Board of Directors.Mr. Pops also currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Midsized Biotech Alliance of America (the MBAA) and on the Board of Directors of Neurocrine Biosciences. He previously served on the Boards of Directors of Acceleron Pharma, Inc., Epizyme, Inc., Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Reliant Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), previously serving as Chair of the BIO Board and Co-Chair of BIO’s Regulatory Environment Committee. In addition, Mr. Pops was a member of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows.
Throughout his career, Mr. Pops has been actively involved in shaping public policy to support biopharmaceutical innovation including his industry leadership on FDA regulatory policy issues, including recent Prescription Drug User Fee Act reauthorizations, and policy efforts to support mid-size biotech companies.
He holds a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University.