Pharmaceutical Market Europe • March 2021 • 38-40
APPOINTMENTS
MSD
ROBERT DAVIS
MSD (known as Merck & Co in the US and Canada) has appointed Robert Davis as chief executive officer. Before being appointed CEO, Davis worked as chief financial officer at MSD, a role he has been in since 2014. Prior to joining MSD, he was corporate vice president and president of Baxter’s medical products business. He also held several other positions during his time at Baxter, including president of its renal business, chief financial officer and treasurer. Before joining Baxter, Davis worked at Eli Lilly, where he held a number of positions of increasing responsibility over 14 years. He also serves on the board of directors for Duke Energy Corporation and is a board member of Project Hope, a non-profit organisation focused on empowering healthcare workers to deliver expert care.
Novo Nordisk Foundation
MADS KROGSGAARD THOMSEN
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen has been appointed chief executive officer of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Krogsgaard Thomsen joined Novo Nordisk 30 years ago, initially as head of growth hormone research and subsequently as senior vice president of diabetes. Most recently, he served as executive vice president, head of R&D and chief scientific officer at the company.
Eli Lilly
ANAT ASHKENAZI
Eli Lilly has appointed Anat Ashkenazi as chief financial officer (CFO) and senior vice president of the company. Most recently, Ashkenazi served as senior vice president, controller and CFO of Lilly Research Laboratories. She has worked at Lilly for almost 20 years, having served in her most recent role at Lilly Research Laboratories since 2016.
LEO Pharma
SARAH KLEINPETER
LEO Pharma has appointed Sarah Kleinpeter as vice president of UK and Ireland. Kleinpeter joins the company from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where she served as general manager for its operations in Finland. She has over 14 years of pharma industry experience, having started her career at GSK in research & development, supporting the development of medicines across a range of therapy areas.
The AMR Action Fund
HENRY SKINNER
Henry Skinner has been appointed the first chief executive officer of the AMR Action Fund. Skinner joins the AMR Action Fund with extensive biomedical and investment funding experience. Most recently, he served as the senior vice president of venture at Tekla Capital Management. He has also previously served as vice president and deputy head and managing director of the Novartis Venture Fund.
Genmab
TAHAMTAN AHMADI
Tahamtan Ahmadi has been appointed to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief medical officer, head of experimental medicines. Ahmadi joined Genmab in 2017, having previously served as the company's senior vice president, head of oncology. Pror to this he was
head of experimental medicine and early development oncology at Janssen.
Kite Pharma
FRANK NEUMANN
Kite Pharma, a Gilead company, has appointed Frank Neumann as senior vice president and global head of clinical development. Prior to this, Neumann worked as chief medical officer at Verastem, and served as vice president, head of oncology clinical research at bluebird bio, where he led planning and execution of oncology research asset strategies.
Daiichi Sankyo
KEN TAKESHITA
Daiichi Sankyo has appointed Ken Takeshita as global head of research and development. Takeshita joins Daiichi Sankyo from Kite Pharma, where he had been senior vice president and global head of development since 2019. Prior to Kite, he served as senior vice president of clinical research at Sorrento Therapeutics and corporate vice president of clinical R&D at Celgene.
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
IAN CAMPBELL
The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult has appointed Ian Campbell to its board of non-executive directors representing Innovate UK. Campbell is chief business officer of LifeArc, where he leads its business and development partnerships. He has 15 years of executive experience in the health and life sciences sectors, gained while serving as Innovate UK’s interim chair.
Amgen
SANDRA EKETORP SYLVAN
Amgen has appointed Sandra Eketorp Sylvan as medical director, Sweden. Eketorp Sylvan is a medical doctor and a specialist in oncology. She also has experience in organisation development and digitalisation within the healthcare sector. Most recently, Eketorp Sylvan held the position of senior medical advisor and medical lead in oncology and haematology at Amgen.
Antev
AMIT KOHLI
London, UK-based drug development company Antev has appointed Amit Kohli as chief executive officer. Kohli has over 25 years of experience of senior executive and leadership roles across companies within the healthcare sector. Prior to joining Antev, Kohli was chief operating officer at Pharnext. Before that, he held leadership roles at Eurofins, Becton Dickinson and Sanofi.
BioArctic
LOTTA LJUNGQVIST
Swedish biopharma company BioArctic has appointed Lotta Ljungqvist to the board. Ljungqvist has over 30 years of experience in the life sciences industry, where she has held a number of leading roles, with positions at GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Biovitrum and Pharmacia. Ljungqvist is currently chief executive officer of Testa Center, Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences).
Vedanta Biosciences
MARK MULLIKIN
Mark Mullikin has joined Cambridge, UK-based Vedanta Biosciences as chief financial officer. Mullikin brings 25 years’ experience of raising and deploying capital for life sciences companies. Most recently, he has held leadership roles in finance and investor relations at Editas Medicine and Novartis. He joins Vedanta from Editas Medicine, where he served as vice president, finance and investor relations.
SOPHiA GENETICS
ROSS MUKEN
SOPHiA GENETICS has appointed Ross Muken as chief financial officer. Muken brings over 20 years of experience of financial experience, with a strong focus on medical technology and life sciences, to his new role. He joins the SOPHiA GENETICS team from Click Therapeutics, where he served as both chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
Microbiotica
HANS SCHIKAN
Hans Schikan has joined Cambridge, UK-based Microbiotica as independent non-executive chairman. Schikan is a well-established biopharma leader, having held a number of board memberships on privately and publicly listed companies. He currently serves on the boards of Pharvaris, Vicore Pharma, Complix, InteRNA Technologies and the Dutch Top Sector Life Sciences and Health.
EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals
MARIA BECH
Biopharma company EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals has appointed Maria Bech to the role of chief executive officer. Bech is a seasoned pharma industry executive with over 25 years of experience in a range of positions. Previously, she held the position of chief scientific officer at Smartfish and vice president of clinical development and regulatory affairs at Karo Bio.
Hyloris
THOMAS JACOBSEN
Thomas Jacobsen has been appointed as chief business officer at Hyloris Pharmaceuticals. Jacobsen has over 20 years of experience in the pharma industry, with expertise in operational management, business development and more. He co-founded Alter Pharma and previously worked at Docpharma. He started his career in the generics company Alternova, where he was responsible for licensing, product registration and launches.
Strongbridge Biopharma
RICHARD KOLLENDER
Strongbridge Biopharma has appointed Richard Kollender as president and chief financial officer. Previously, Kollender served as chief operating officer of Strongbridge. He has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Previously, he has held positions in sales, marketing and worldwide business development at GlaxoSmithKline and also served as investment manager at SR One.
Immunocore
RALPH TORBAY
Ralph Torbay has joined Immunocore as its new head of commercial. Over the past four years, Torbay has helped to launch three major drugs in oncology and build the haematology franchise at AstraZeneca. Previously, he also led and worked on several high-profile pipeline integrations and product launches at Novartis Oncology.
LAVA Therapeutics
KAPIL DHINGRA
LAVA Therapeutics has appointed Kapil Dhingra as chairman of its board of directors. Dhingra has more than 30 years of experience in oncology clinical research and drug development. He served as vice president, head of the oncology disease biology leadership team and head of oncology clinical development at Roche. Prior to Roche, he worked at Eli Lilly.
Engitix
ALAN HOLMES
Engitix has appointed Alan Holmes as senior director, fibrosis. Holmes joins from UCB where he was director, drug target identification. Before this, he was director within GlaxoSmithKline’s pulmonary vascular injury and fibrosis drug performance unit (DPU). He also previously worked at UCL, latterly as head of biology in the drug discovery, translational research office.
Havas Just::
NICOLE YOST
Healthcare communications agency Havas Just:: has named Nicole Yost as its new chief executive officer, taking the helm from Jennie Talman. Yost has held a range of leadership roles at Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW), Porter Novelli and Ogilvy Healthworld. Most recently, she was responsible for establishing a new division at BCW, which focused on business transformation in the health sector.
McCann Health
DAN CARUCCI
McCann Health has promoted Dan Carucci to the role of global chief medical officer, from his previous role as medical director. Carucci joined McCann Health in February 2018, and has worked across nearly all aspects of the business during this time. He is also a physician and molecular biologist with over 30 years of experience managing large and complex health programmes.
Virgo Health
SARAH GORDON
Virgo Health has appointed Sarah Gordon to the newly created role of head of health. Gordon has worked at Virgo Health since 2018, serving in the role of executive director. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the healthcare communications industry, having worked with pharma companies and healthcare organisations across public relations, issues management, advertising and medical education.
Evoke KYNE
MICHAEL GRELA
Evoke KYNE has promoted Michael Grela to executive vice president, head of reputation and social impact. Grela joined Evoke KYNE in 2011, with his most recent role being senior vice president, head of marketing. In his new role, he will focus on global social impact client engagements, while simultaneously continuing in his role as vice president of the Society for Health Communication.
GCI HEALTH
NEHA DAVE
GCI Health has appointed Neha Dave as senior director of its recently opened Brussels office. Dave has worked in government relations for close to 20 years, and has previously spent time working at agencies including Hill & Knowlton and Weber Shandwick. She has also held a number of in-house roles with the NHS and MedTech Europe.
Makara Health
DIANA EVANS
Makara Health, a healthcare communications agency based in the UK, has appointed Diana Evans as director. Evans joins Makara's leadership team with both agency and in-house experience, with her most recent role being head of communications at Napp Pharmaceuticals. She has also worked as a programme manager in global brand communications at British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for over four years.
Makara Health
GURJIT CHAHAL
Makara Health has also appointed Gurjit Chahal as associate director. Chahal has over ten years of experience in the healthcare comms industry, and has previously worked at agencies including 3 Monkeys Zeno, Clark Health, Red Consultancy and Tonic Life Communications. Prior to joining Makara, Chahal worked as senior account manager, associate director of healthcare at 3 Monkeys Zeno.
Makara Health
JOHANNA LEIFLAND
Rounding out the appointments at Makara Health is Johanna Leifland, who has been appointed as account director. Prior to joining Makara, Leifland worked at woolley pau gyro, where she held the role of account director. Before this, she was a freelance senior account manager at DDB Remedy London. Earlier in her career, she worked as a marketing assistant at Johnson & Johnson.
akt health communications
HEATHER TARPLEE
akt health communications has appointed Heather Tarplee as senior account director. Previously Tarplee worked at Freuds for five years. Most recently, she worked as an account director at the global communications company. Tarplee also brings significant healthcare PR experience to akt health, including leading large teams to deliver national health campaigns for public sector clients.
Bedrock Healthcare Communications
EMILY WIGGINTON
Bedrock Healthcare Communications has appointed Emily Wigginton as head of client services. Wigginton brings a wealth of healthcare comms experience to Bedrock. Most recently, she served as client services director at OPEN Health Patient & Brand Communications. Prior to this, she worked at Life Healthcare Communications and PAN Advertising UK.
Bedrock Healthcare Communications
CHRIS BARTON
Also joining Bedrock is Chris Barton, who has been appointed as strategic solutions director. Barton has previous sales and marketing experience gained from roles at AstraZeneca, Baxter, Abbott, AbbVie and Novartis. He worked at Novartis for a period of four years, most recently as community team leader, cardiovascular. Before this, he was a market access manager at AbbVie.
Bedrock Healthcare Communications
STEPHANIE WASEK
Stephanie Wasek has been appointed scientific director at Bedrock. Previously, Wasek has held a number of roles within the healthcare communications sector, at agencies including Lucid Group and Synergy Vision. Most recently, she worked as a principal medical writer at Lucid Group, and as creative engagement lead at Synergy Vision.