Fred Hassan Joins Amgen’s Board of Directors
Amgen, the company dedicated to finding biological solutions to serious illnesses, has appointed Fred Hassan, Partner and Managing Director of Warburg Pincus, LLC to the its Board of Directors. Hassan is well known for business acumen and leadership experience at various global biopharmaceutical companies, including Schering-Plough Corporation, Pharmacia & Upjohn and Sandoz, among others. Hassan, who has also served in leadership roles at Bausch & Lomb and Valeant Pharmaceuticals, is a director of Time Warner, Inc.
“We are pleased to welcome Fred Hassan and the deep global experience he brings in the biopharmaceuticals sector to the Amgen Board,” says Robert A. Bradway, Chairman and CEO of Amgen. “Fred’s breadth of operational expertise and commitment to innovation will serve Amgen well.”
Finn Partners’ Gil Bashe Named AHA Founders Affiliate Board Chair
The American Heart Association (AHA) announced its Founders Affiliate board officers for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, including Gil Bashe, Managing Partner, Health, Finn Partners, as Affiliate chair. Founders is an eight-state geographic region responsible for the AHA life-saving mission. Bashe will provide counsel and guidance to further the AHA’s mission within the Northeast community. He has been an AHA volunteer for more than 25 years having served on a number of AHA local and national committees, including two terms as Marketing Communication subcommittee national chair and as the AHA New York City Board of Directors chair.
Other members of this year’s Founders Affiliate board include George Philippides, MD, Chief, Division of Cardiology at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA, who will serve as Affiliate president, and Elizabeth McGlinn, CPA, Accounting Manager with L.L. Bean in Freeport, ME, who will serve as Founders’ board treasurer.
Aratana Therapeutics
Aratana Therapeutics, a company focused on developing biopharmaceuticals for pets, announced Wendy Yarno Chairmen of the Board of Directors. Before joining Aranta, Yarno served in various management positions at Merck & Co. for 26 years, including Chief Marketing Officer. Yarno will help lead the company as it launches six new products this year.
AXIM Biotechnologies
Developing pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, the company appointed Joe Grace to its Board of Advisors. Grace previously served at companies including WebMD and Medscape.
Benchworks
The marketing services firm specializing in complete marketing and branding services announced that Brenda Vujanic has been promoted to Executive Vice President. She will be responsible for managing the corporate marketing and communication strategy, providing strategic guidance for key clients, and serving as an experienced resource for Benchworks’ expanding team as the marketing services firm continues to grow.
Eiger BioPharmaceuticals
Jim Shaffer is now Chief Business Officer at Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, a company focused on developing therapies for orphan designation diseases. Shaffer’s has more than 20 years experience in commercial leadership and business roles including VP and Chief Commercial Officer for Halozyme Therapeutics. He also worked in the biopharmaceutical market for companies including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline and InterMune.
Healthcasts
Healthcasts, the leading educational resource for physicians, appointed Denis Wyrwoll as Senior Director of Market Research. Wyrwoll will strengthen the company’s research capabilities for pharmaceutical partners and devise in-depth analytics. Previously, he was a Director of Business Analytics and Insights at Pfizer.
Highland Pharmaceuticals
The specialty pharma company announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Ironshore Pharmaceuticals appointed Craig S. Lewis to its Board of Directors. Lewis has a proven track record in commercial leadership and strategy experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. He currently serves as SVP and Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer for Assurex Health. Previously, he served as SVP, Global Business Insights and Commercial Operations at Shire.
Horizon Pharma
Horizon Pharma, the company that develops medicines for unmet medical needs, has appointed George Hampton as Executive VP, Global Orphan Business Unit and International Operations. Hampton has 20 years executive experience in pharmaceuticals with companies including AbbVie.
Marathon Pharmaceuticals
The biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for rare neurological and movement disorders, named Babar Ghias as Chief Financial Officer. He was most recently Marathon’s VP of Strategy and Corporate Development. Prior to Marathon, Ghias led large transactions for global healthcare clients at Credit Suisse in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group in New York and London.
MediSolutions
After the rebranding of MediScripts to MediSolutions, Stephen M. Hoelper is now Vice President of Marketing and New Product Development. Chief among Hoelper’s responsibilities will be to expand on MediSolutions’ 30 years of industry leadership to establish an expanding suite of technology-enabled products that continue to help healthcare practitioners work smarter.
Merck
Merck announced Isabel De Paoli as Head of Group Communications, effective after Walter Huber officially retires in March of 2016. De Paoli has been responsible for leading Merck’s global planning since 2009 and will soon be responsible for all global communications. Heiko Schön will take over De Paoli’s current role.
Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide
Michael Parisi, a Managing Partner for Ogilvy, is now a member of the Fill Your Bucket List Foundation’s Board of Directors. Parisi joins eight board members who provide oversight of the national nonprofit organization. He has worked for 20-plus years in healthcare marketing with a focus on oncology. Michele Andrews was promoted to EVP, Director of Client Services after serving as EVP, Strategy. She will be tasked with leading several of the payer marketing account teams, among other responsibilities.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals
The multinational specialty pharmaceutical company added D. Robert Hale, Partner of ValueAct Capital, to its Board of Directors. Hale previously served as a Principal with The Parthenon Group.
23andME
23andMe, a leader in personal genomics, appointed Dean Schorno as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations for their financial and clinical lab operations. Schorno most recently served as CFO of Adaptive Biotechnologies. Prior to that role, he served 13 years as VP of Operations and CFO for Genomic Health.
