- Charles River Laboratories has announced that long-serving CEO Jim Foster will retire in May 2026, with COO Birgit Girshick appointed as his successor.
- The leadership transition follows a board-led succession process and includes changes to board roles and corporate governance.
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has announced that its Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jim Foster, will retire effective 5 May 2026, at the conclusion of the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The board has unanimously appointed Birgit Girshick, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, as the next CEO, effective at the same time.
As part of the transition, Foster will remain on the board as a non-executive director. Martin Mackay, Ph.D., the current Lead Independent Director, will assume the role of Chair of the Board following the annual meeting. The changes are intended to ensure continuity and to separate the Chair and CEO roles in line with corporate governance best practice.
The board stated that the appointments follow a comprehensive, long-term succession planning process. Girshick, who joined Charles River in 1989, has held a series of senior operational leadership roles and has served as COO since 2021, overseeing global business units, digital transformation and acquisitions.
“Jim’s retirement and the corresponding CEO succession is the result of a long-standing, comprehensive process focused on ensuring a seamless transition, which led the Board to unanimously name Birgit Girshick as the next CEO of Charles River.”
Martin Mackay, Ph.D., the current Lead Independent Director
Foster has spent 50 years at Charles River, including more than three decades as CEO, during which time the company expanded from a research models business into a global preclinical drug development organisation and became a member of the S&P 500. Girshick is expected to assume the CEO role in May 2026, following the company’s annual meeting.
