The former chief executive of pharmaceutical company Astex, he co-founded, has quietly left the firm as he awaits trial on multiple child abuse charges.
Harren Jhoti, who was awarded an OBE for services to cancer research and drug discovery, is due to stand trial in May after being accused of sexually assaulting children in Swindon
Court records show that Jhoti pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The company confirmed that Jhoti left his position in September but did not state whether he resigned or was dismissed.
In October, the firm announced senior leadership changes, naming former Chief Operating Officer Michelle Jones as President and appointing Gianni Chessari as Chief Scientific Officer.
The announcement made no reference to Jhoti, and his profile has since been removed from the company’s website.
Jhoti, 62, of Coton, Cambridgeshire, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 29 April 2025, where he denied 12 offences.
Two charges allege the indecent assault of a girl under 14 between 6 August 1976 and 31 August 1979.
Nine further charges relate to the alleged indecent assault of a boy under 14 between 15 July 1979 and 1 August 1981.
At the time of the alleged offences, Jhoti was aged between 14 and 18, while the girl was between seven and ten and the boy was between nine and eleven.
During the same period, Jhoti is also accused of inciting a teenage boy to commit an act of gross indecency.
A preliminary hearing at Swindon Crown Court in May 2025 confirmed that Jhoti’s trial is scheduled to begin on 18 May 2026.
The trial is expected to last approximately seven days.
The complainants, who are due to give evidence, will be shielded from public view by screens.
A pre-trial review is set for 20 March, which Jhoti is not required to attend.
Jhoti co-founded the pharmaceutical company Astex in 1999 and received several awards during his career, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the UK BioIndustry Association in 2018.
He previously worked as a post-doctoral scientist at Oxford University and had been recognised for contributions to structural biology and drug design.
Jhoti was born in India before his family moved to Swindon when he was two years old, and he became the first member of his family to attend university.
Jhoti remains on bail pending the start of the trial.
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