CAMBRIDGE, MA (May 21, 2014) – MassBio elected five life sciences executives to the organization’s Board of Directors at the MassBio Annual Meeting last month.
Joining the board this year are Jim Burns, Head of the Sanofi Boston R&D Hub, Liz Lewis, Chief Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Paris Panayiotopoulos, President & Managing Director at EMD Serono, Adelene Perkins, Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer at Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Rick Russell, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
“We are thrilled to add the significant breadth and depth of expertise that comes with adding Jim, Liz, Paris, Adelene and Rick to the Board of Directors,” said MassBio President & CEO Robert K. Coughlin. “We rely on these industry experts on the Board to represent and advocate for life sciences organizations and their needs. We appreciate the time they devote to building the Massachusetts supercluster through MassBio.”
Jim Burns is Head of the Boston R&D Hub at Sanofi. He was Senior Vice President and Head of Drug and Biomaterial R&D at Genzyme prior to joining Sanofi. He earned a B.S. in biology from Purdue University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Illinois-Chicago where his thesis work focused on drug delivery. Following his graduate studies, he was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Florida. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Liz Lewis is Chief Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company/Takeda Pharmaceutical International Co. She has been instrumental in creating Millennium’s legal and compliance functions that support the global oncology business and has played an integral role in the successful launch, commercialization and market expansion of VELCADE. Liz has more than 20 years of legal expertise advising manufacturers, payors and other ancillary providers in the health care life sciences space. Prior to Millennium, she served as a partner in the national health law practice of Epstein, Becker & Green, a D.C.-based law firm. She was inducted into the Takeda Leadership Institute, serves as the chair for various steering committees, and is an active participant in industry trade organizations, PhRMA and BIO, often being asked to provide legal and compliance leadership. Most recently, the Boston Business Journal named Liz as one of the top 20 “2014 Women to Watch” in the life sciences industry.
Paris Panayiotopoulos is President and Managing Director of EMD Serono, Inc., one of the top U.S. biopharmaceutical companies focused exclusively on specialty care. He came to EMD Serono from the company’s Japan subsidiary, Merck Serono, where he served as President and Managing Director. Other positions he held at Merck Serono include Head of Western Europe Operations, Director of Global Marketing, Global Commercial Team Leader and Head of the COO Office. Prior to that, he served in roles across multiple therapeutic areas and global brands at Eli Lilly & Company, based in the United Kingdom.
Adelene Perkins has served as President and CEO of Infinity Pharmaceuticals since 2009 and as the company’s board chair since 2012. She has played an integral role in leading the company, guiding its transition from a platform to a product-focused organization, building the team and forming strategic partnerships to advance the company’s product pipeline and establish a strong financial foundation. She has more than 25 years of international business experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, focused on building and leading high-caliber, cross-functional teams, corporate strategy, licensing and business development, strategic finance and product life cycle management. Prior to Infinity, Ms. Perkins held leadership positions at TransForm Pharmaceuticals, Genetics Institute and Bain & Company.
Rick Russell is Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, providing leadership for North American and U.K. commercial organizations. In his role, he drives a patient centric culture across sales, marketing, commercial operations and managed market group activities. He has more than 20 years of experience leading commercial operations and in developing and implementing sales and marketing activities for major pharmaceutical brands. His pharmaceutical experience spans several therapeutic areas ranging from central nervous system (CNS) disorders, women’s health, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders. Prior to joining Sunovion, he held the position of U.S. Executive Vice President, Neurodegenerative Diseases and Rheumatology at EMD Serono.
MassBio also elected its 2014-2015 Executive Committee at the MassBio Annual Meeting on April 3rd.
They are:
Chair Glenn Batchelder, Civitas Therapeutics
Vice Chair Abbie Celniker, Eleven Biotherapeutics
Treasurer Michael O’Hara, Deloitte
Clerk David Lucchino, Semprus Biosciences
Past Chair Geoff MacKay, Organogenesis Inc.
Counsel Lawrence Wittenberg, Goodwin Procter
About MassBio
www.massbio.org
MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation’s oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 620 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services.
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