Birgit Girshick is Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Charles River Laboratories and will be appointed Chief Executive Officer effective May 5, 2026. She joined the Company in 1989 and originally held positions of increasing responsibility in its RMS Germany and Avian Vaccine businesses. In 2004 she was promoted to General Manager of the Avian Vaccine Services business, was named Executive Director, RMS Process Improvement in 2009, and Corporate Vice President, Global Biopharmaceutical Services in 2010. In 2013 she was promoted to Corporate Senior Vice President, Research Models and Biologics Testing Solutions, and in 2016 led the integration of WIL Research into the Safety Assessment business and assumed the role of Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Discovery Services.
In February 2018 she was appointed Corporate Executive Vice President, Global Discovery and Safety Assessment, adding responsibility for the Biologics Solutions and Avian Vaccine Services business in August 2018. In November 2021 she was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the Company, adding the Research Models and Services, Microbial Solutions and CDMO businesses as well as the Global Information Technologies group to her responsibilities. Since 2023 she has also had general oversight of the Corporate Sales and Marketing team and the Corporate and External Affairs function.
In January 2026, the Board announced a leadership transition plan and unanimously appointed Ms. Girshick as the next Chief Executive Officer, concurrent with Mr. Foster's planned retirement, effective May 5, 2026. She was also nominated to become a director of the Company effective at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.