NUTLEY, N.J., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche is pleased to announce that Global Due Diligence Director Stella Xu, Ph.D., was honored as a 2006 Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) at the organization's annual awards luncheon on May 10, 2006 in New York City.
"Stella's diplomatic and focused approach, exceptional responsiveness, excellent judgment and ability to direct team members without overly influencing them, has earned her a high level of credibility, both within Roche and with our alliance partners," said Dennis Burns, vice president and global head, Business Development. "These abilities, combined with her enthusiasm and great sense of humor, define her as a Rising Star!"
"Stella's accomplishments have made a difference at Roche, which is why she was selected to join the ranks of other Roche women who have received this prestigious award. We greatly appreciate and applaud women like her who inspire and are role models for others," noted George Abercrombie, president and CEO, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
As global due diligence director in Roche Pharma Partnering, Xu's responsibilities include leading due diligence assessment of potential deals and supporting the transaction of new licensing opportunities. Prior to this, Stella was a global alliance director involved in integrating and managing multiple alliances with biotechnology companies around the world.
"This award came as a total surprise," said Xu. "I appreciate the honor greatly and am deeply grateful to Roche for the nomination."
Xu came to Roche from McKinsey & Company, a management-consulting firm, where she led consulting engagements with biopharmaceutical clients in areas ranging from R&D strategy, marketing and sales, to corporate development. Prior to that, she was a research scientist with Isis Pharmaceuticals working in drug discovery in oncology and inflammation.
Xu holds a B.S. in biophysics from Peking University, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology from Northwestern University.
The HBA, based in Fairfield, NJ (http://www.hbanet.org), is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the advancement of women in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Its Rising Star Award recognizes women whose outstanding accomplishments make a difference in the industry and inspire others.
About Roche - More Than a Century in the U.S. and the World
Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (Roche), based in Nutley, N.J., is the U.S. pharmaceuticals headquarters of the Roche Group, one of the world's leading research-oriented healthcare groups with core businesses in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. For more than 100 years, the Roche Group has been committed to developing innovative products and services that address prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, thus enhancing people's health and quality of life. An employer of choice, in 2005, Roche was named one of Fortune magazine's Best Companies to Work For in America, one of the Top 20 Employers (Science magazine), ranked as the No. 3 Best Company to Work For in NJ (NJ Biz magazine), the No. 1 Company to Sell For (Selling Power), and one of AARP's Top Companies for Older Workers. For additional information about the U.S. pharmaceuticals business, visit our websites: http://www.rocheusa.com or http://www.roche.us.
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