EFPIA announces the appointment of Eric Cornut as Interim Director General, succeeding Richard Bergström after five successful years at the head of the association.
From the development of transparency initiatives on payments to health professionals and clinical trial data sharing, through the creation of IMI2, to industry engagement in the outcomes-focused healthcare debate, Richard has given strong leadership through a period of dynamic change.
“I am proud to leave EFPIA at a time when we have developed policies that promote innovation and patient access, such as through the focus on outcomes and on adaptive pathways to speed up the development of new medicines. After 15 fantastic years leading industry associations in Sweden and in Brussels, my family and I are moving to Switzerland where I will work for a privately held company in the technology and data sector,” said Richard Bergström.
Joe Jimenez, President of EFPIA, said “As the voice of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe for the past five years, Richard has been instrumental in building collaborative relationships with many stakeholders. We have a strong foundation on which to build our mission of bringing innovative drugs to Europe which extend life, and ease patient suffering. I am grateful for Richard’s dedication to the industry over the last five years and wish him every success for his new venture.”
Following Richard Bergström’s decision to move on, EFPIA has initiated a search for a new Director-General. While the search continues, EFPIA will be headed ad interim by Eric Cornut. Mr. Cornut has a long and successful track record in the pharmaceutical industry. He has held roles of increasing responsibility, including Head of Europe, Chief Commercial Officer, and most recently Chief Ethics, Compliance and Policy Officer at Novartis. Mr. Cornut is currently an independent consultant.
Joe Jimenez commented “Eric brings a wealth of valuable experience, having worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 25 years with responsibility for both commercial and policy work. I am very pleased that Eric accepted to lead EFPIA ad interim.”
Eric Cornut said “Having led the EFPIA Executive Committee from 2008 to 2013, I look forward to supporting EFPIA. 2017 will be a critical year for the industry, with major milestones including the reviews of key legislations and the Commission’s Roadmap on HTA cooperation in Europe. I look forward to working with the EFPIA Board and the team on this important agenda.”
