AstraZeneca PLC Reshuffles Board and Appoints New Director
February 17, 2015
By Krystle Vermes, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
Biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC announced today that Cornelia Bargmann will be nominated by shareholders as a non-executive director at the company’s annual general meeting on April 24. The Board of Directors is also proposing the appointment of Bargmann to AstraZeneca’s Science Committee.
John Varley, senior independent non-executive director, and Nancy Rothwell, non-executive director, both intend to retire from the Board of Directors at the end of the meeting on April 24. Varley and Rothwell have been on the Board of Directors for nine years.
Rothwell is also the chairman of the Science Committee, while Varley is the chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Nomination and Governance Committee.
“John Varley and Dame Nancy Rothwell have been committed and hard-working Board members, serving the Company and its shareholders for the best part of a decade,” said AstraZeneca Chairman Leif Johansson. “I would like to pay tribute to their experience, wisdom, common sense and collegiality, as well as their leadership of the Remuneration Committee and the Science Committee respectively. I speak for all of my colleagues on the Board in saying that we will miss them and their contribution to our work; they go with our very best wishes for their future endeavors.”
Changes at the Top
Last year, AstraZeneca announced a similar move, proposing Ann Cairns as a non-executive director to shareholders at the company’s annual meeting on April 24. The Board of Directors wanted to appoint Cairns to the Audit Committee.
“I’m delighted to propose Ann Cairns for election to the AstraZeneca Board,” Johansson said at the time. “Ann will bring more than twenty years’ in-depth financial and international business experience to the Board and we look forward to welcoming her.”
Cairns has worked as the president of International Markets for MasterCard. She has been responsible for the management of all markets and customer-related activities outside of North America.
After the meeting on April 24, Cairns was successfully appointed by shareholders. She now serves on AstraZeneca’s Audit Committee as a non-executive director, bringing more than 20 years of financial experience to the company.
“We welcomed Ann Cairns last year and are delighted that Cori Bargmann has agreed to join the Board in April,” Johansson stated, following the latest proposed changes to the board. “Cori will bring a wealth of experience in scientific research, fitting the needs of AstraZeneca’s Board very well.”
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