09 January 2026 | Friday | News
Charles River Laboratories’ announcement of a planned leadership transition marks one of the most consequential succession moments in the global preclinical and drug development services sector in recent years. The retirement of James C. Foster after a fifty year career and the unanimous appointment of Birgit Girshick as the next Chief Executive Officer signals continuity, institutional confidence and strategic intent rather than disruption.
This is not a sudden change in guard. It is a carefully sequenced evolution designed to prepare Charles River for its next phase of growth amid mounting scientific complexity, regulatory intensity and shifting client expectations.
Birgit Girshick, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, commented, “I am deeply honored to become Charles River’s next CEO. Having spent more than 35 years at the Company, this moment carries tremendous personal meaning for me that I do not take lightly. I want to thank our Board for the trust that they have placed in me, and Jim for his significant contributions and the legacy that he has built, but also for the tremendous mentorship and close partnership he has provided to prepare me throughout this thoughtfully planned transition.”
Ms. Girshick continued, “As we continue to move Charles River forward with our seasoned, global team, I am committed to building upon the solid foundation that Jim has established by leveraging the unique opportunities present in the evolving biopharmaceutical landscape to further strengthen our ability to partner with clients. We will continue work tirelessly to lead the industry, to advance drug development by accelerating the progress we have made in scientific innovation and technology enablement, and by continuing to focus on driving greater operating efficiency for both our clients and throughout our own operations. I remain firmly committed to long-term shareholder value creation and driving our strategy to the next phase. This includes enhancing our market-leading portfolio to drive top-line growth, maximizing our financial performance, and maintaining a disciplined and thoughtful approach to capital deployment. I am deeply honored to help lead Charles River into its next chapter.”
The Board led succession process reflects several years of preparation, underscoring governance maturity at a time when investors and sponsors increasingly scrutinise leadership stability across the CRO landscape. By confirming the transition well ahead of the May 2026 Annual Meeting, Charles River has removed uncertainty for clients whose programmes span multiple development cycles.
Equally significant is the decision to separate the roles of Chair and Chief Executive Officer, with Lead Independent Director Martin Mackay assuming the Chair role. This move aligns the company with global governance best practices and strengthens oversight at a time when scale, acquisitions and capital allocation discipline are under sharper focus.
Jim Foster’s impact on Charles River is foundational. From joining the company as General Counsel in 1976 to steering it through a management led buyout, public listing and more than fifty acquisitions, Foster transformed Charles River from a niche research models provider into a global preclinical powerhouse.
Under his stewardship, the company became embedded in the modern drug development ecosystem, contributing to more than eighty percent of FDA approved drugs since 2017. Financially, the growth story is equally striking, with revenues expanding from just over three hundred million dollars at IPO to approximately four billion dollars in 2024, alongside sustained shareholder value creation and inclusion in the S and P 500.
This legacy creates a high bar for succession, making continuity of culture, values and operating discipline a strategic necessity.
Birgit Girshick’s appointment reflects a clear board conviction that Charles River’s next chapter requires deep operational fluency rather than external reinvention. With more than thirty five years at the company and nearly five years as Chief Operating Officer, Girshick has overseen global business units, digital transformation, integration of major acquisitions and expansion into advanced modalities including cell and gene therapy services.
Her career progression mirrors the company’s own evolution, from research models to integrated discovery, safety assessment and biologics testing platforms. This breadth positions her to balance scientific innovation with execution excellence, particularly as sponsors seek fewer partners capable of supporting programmes from early discovery through regulatory submission.
Several signals emerge clearly from this transition.
First, Charles River is prioritising stability at a time when biopharma funding cycles remain uneven and development risk tolerance is tightening.
Second, the company is doubling down on operational efficiency, digital enablement and portfolio integration rather than headline expansion alone.
Third, long term partnerships will continue to outweigh transactional engagements, reinforcing Charles River’s role as a strategic extension of client R and D organisations.
With Foster remaining on the Board as a non executive director, the transition benefits from continuity of institutional memory while enabling Girshick to imprint her leadership style. Expect a sharpened focus on disciplined capital deployment, productivity gains across global sites and deeper integration of data led and technology enabled services.
For clients, investors and employees alike, the message is clear. Charles River is not entering a period of change. It is entering a period of deliberate progression.
This succession is a textbook example of how leadership transitions should be executed in a science led, long cycle industry. Planned, principled and purpose driven, it positions Charles River Laboratories to navigate its next decade with confidence and clarity
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