Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) announced that Bob Ragusa has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of GRAIL, a healthcare company whose mission is focused on multi-cancer early detection, effective immediately. GRAIL currently operates as a separate and independent unit of Illumina.
“With over three decades of experience in genomics, Bob possesses the strategic vision and strong track record of execution to successfully scale GRAIL and bring its breakthrough early cancer detection test to billions around the world,” said Francis deSouza, Chief Executive Officer, Illumina, Inc. “His extensive experience building and leading high-performing organizations, as well as his deep understanding of our industry, make Bob the perfect fit to lead GRAIL. I’d also like to thank Hans for his leadership and commitment to advancing multi-cancer early detection.”
Hans Bishop, who has been Chief Executive Officer since June 2019, has chosen to step down and will serve as Advisor to Bob Ragusa through the end of 2021.
“Successfully bringing Galleri™, GRAIL’s multi-cancer early detection test, to market has been one of the proudest achievements of my career,” said Hans Bishop. “I am grateful to have led GRAIL over the last two and a half years. With Illumina, GRAIL’s world-class talent will advance innovation to further accelerate the development and commercialization of new diagnostic tools and services in the fight against cancer.”
Ragusa is one of the most respected leaders in the industry with over 30 years of experience in genomics. As Illumina’s Chief Operations Officer, he was responsible for significantly scaling the business to serve over seven thousand customers in more than 140 countries. He was also responsible for Illumina’s Clinical Lab Services which processed millions of genomic samples per year. His organization included the global Manufacturing, Clinical Lab Services, Supply Chain, Quality, Life Cycle Management, Information Technology, and Global Facilities and Real Estate teams, all committed to ensuring high product quality and customer satisfaction.
Before joining Illumina in 2013, Ragusa was Executive Vice President of Engineering and Global Operations at Accuray, a radiation oncology company, where he and his team were responsible for the development, manufacturing and distribution of innovative precision treatment solutions. Ragusa served as Senior Vice President of Global Operations for Applied Biosystems, where he played an instrumental role in ramping up the availability of QPCR, as well as the sequencing systems that were used by the Human Genome Project.
“Leading GRAIL is the culmination of my career, including my work in genomics, oncology and scaling businesses to increase access to groundbreaking products that positively impact human health,” said Ragusa. “I am honored to lead this talented team during a time of extraordinary growth and discovery with the express purpose of deploying innovation and cutting-edge science to help save lives.”
Ragusa holds a Master of Science in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University as well as a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.
