Elaine Harrow, the CEO of the Guidelines International Network has been at the helm of the organisation since 2012, during which time she has overseen the strategic development and professionalisation of the business management, as well as the growth of the role of the secretariat, in supporting the Board.

An experienced manager and qualified project manager, Elaine previously ran her own consultancy and interim management business for ten years, during which time she worked extensively with the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland in senior roles. Prior to setting up her own business, Elaine was a member of the management team for an American hi-tech multinational, where she was head of HR.

Holger Schünemann is professor in the Departments of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact and of Medicine at McMaster University, widely considered the birthplace of evidence-based health care, where he was department chair from 2009 to 2019. He graduated from the Medical School of Hannover (1993 & Dr. med. in 1994) and trained in lung biology, epidemiology, internal medicine and preventive medicine/public health at the University at Buffalo, State of New York (M.Sc. Epidemiology in 1997; Ph.D. Epidemiology & Community Medicine in 2000). Since 2000, he co-led the reshaping of methodology for guideline development spanning clinical medicine to public health. He was a key contributor to the revised methods for WHO guideline development and the Institute of Medicine statement on trustworthy guidelines. He has been advisor and chair of many guideline expert groups for WHO, the European Commission, ministries of health, other governmental organizations and professional societies. He is co-chair of the GRADE working group (www.gradeworkinggroup.org) and director of Cochrane Canada and the McMaster GRADE center. Maintaining an active internal medicine practice fulfils his passion for patient care and ensures his research is people-oriented. He is an author of over 700 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 160/101 google scholar/web of science) and among the 1500 most cited scientists of all times (www.webometrics.info).