Biogen Names Michel Vounatsos Chief Executive Officer

Biogen has appointed Michel Vounatsos as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Vounatsos previously held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Biogen. Mr. Vounatsos succeeds George A. Scangos, Ph.D., who has led the company since 2010 and had previously announced that he would step down once a successor was found.
“Biogen is focused on creating shareholder value by advancing cutting-edge science to address some of the greatest challenges in medicine. In seeking our next chief executive, the board sought a leader with a record in building commercial operations and a passion for science,” said Chairman of the Biogen Board of Directors Stelios Papadopoulos, Ph.D. “It was clear to us through a rigorous search process that Michel is that leader who can guide Biogen in the next phase of its evolution.”

Nathalie Moll announced as new EFPIA Director General

EFPIA confirms the appointment of Nathalie Moll as its new Director General. Currently Secretary General of the European Association for Bioindustries (EuropaBio), Nathalie will join EFPIA in April 2017.
Commenting on the appointment, Joe Jimenez, President of EFPIA said “Nathalie has an excellent track record of leadership and engagement across the life science sector. We are confident she is the right person to lead EFPIA, working with stakeholders to address the challenges faced by healthcare systems in Europe.”
Speaking about her new role, Nathalie said
“I am delighted to be joining EFPIA at a time when pharmaceutical innovation is having such a dramatic effect on the lives of patients across Europe. I look forward to working with EFPIA Members, staff and the wider research, healthcare and policy community to foster an environment that supports continued innovation and drives better outcomes for patients.”

Spark Therapeutics Adds Chief Operating Officer to Management Team

Spark Therapeutics a fully integrated gene therapy company dedicated to challenging genetic diseases, announced the appointment of John Furey to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Mr. Furey will be responsible for global commercial operations, medical affairs, technology development and technical operations.
“Over the next few years, Spark Therapeutics will continue its transformation into a global commercial company with the agility to scale our commercial and manufacturing operations as needed to bring our investigative gene therapies to patients around the world,” said Mr. Marrazzo. “John brings a wide breadth of general management experience gained while working in the U.S., Europe and Asia, with deep expertise in commercial and manufacturing operations, general management on the local and global level, as well as global pricing and reimbursement.”

William Williams President and CEO at Briacell Therapeutics

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp announced the appointment of William Williams, as its President, CEO and a member of the Board of Directors. Williams is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with over 35 years of industry and academic expertise, including significant clinical management in multinational pharmaceutical companies.
“I am very honored and excited to join BriaCell as CEO. I believe BriaCell’s lead candidate, BriaVax^TM, has the potential to significantly improve the treatment outcome for advanced breast cancer patients,” said Dr. Williams. “My ambition is to focus on product innovation, lead the teams, and form strategic alliances to create value for the company, and most importantly to bring hope to the cancer patients with limited treatment options.”

Amyris Appoints Kathleen Valiasek as Chief Financial Officer

Amyris, Inc. the industrial bioscience company, announced the appointment of Kathleen Valiasek, a senior finance and business executive with over 20 years’ experience serving start-up, venture-backed and Fortune 500 companies as Chief Financial Officer. She replaces Raffi Asadorian, who has resigned to pursue a new opportunity, but will continue to support specific projects, as well as serve in an ad hoc consulting capacity to ensure a smooth transition.
“Following completing a record year of revenue growth, we are entering 2017 with the partnerships and product demand to further grow the business and improve shareholder value,” said John Melo, Amyris President & CEO. “Kathy’s strong financial management and business experience at a time of such rapid growth and significant commercial expansion will be a key asset in continuing to build on Amyris’s momentum.”

AIPIA Board welcomes Larry Logan and Fernando Gomez

AIPIA, the Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association has announced two new appointments to its Advisory Board which will help the Association to explore fresh opportunities in the USA as well as cementing the close links with Brand Owners.
Larry Logan, Senior Marketing & Brand Executive at US-based Digimarc, a leading innovator and provider of enabling technologies that create digital identities for all forms of media and many everyday objects, including Packaging.
Matthew Daniels from Unilever will be replaced by Fernando Gomez, who works in the field of Strategic Materials Capability.