Xellia Pharmaceuticals (‘Xellia’), a specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on providing important anti-infective treatments against serious and often life-threatening infections, today announced changes to its Board following the completion of its acquisition of Xellia from UK private equity firm 3i Group plc by Novo A/S in July 2013.
Steen Riisgaard, former President and CEO of Novozymes A/S, chairs a new independent Board and is joined by two non-executive Directors, Per Valstorp and Julie McHugh. Mr Riisgaard succeeds Peter Chambré, an advisor to 3i Group, who steps down as Chairman of the Board after five years. Previous Board members Thomas Pollare, Partner, Venture Capital at 3i, and Tomas Ekman, Partner, 3i also stepped down following completion of the acquisition.
Per Valstorp, SVP, Product Supply at Novo Nordisk A/S, and Julie McHugh, previously COO of Endo Health Solutions Inc. bring a long track record in running multinational life science companies and valuable industry insight in operations, quality and regulatory affairs in generics and specialty pharmaceuticals. They join existing Board members Benny D. Loft and Andreas Rummelt.
Carl-Åke Carlsson, CEO, Xellia said: “We welcome Steen Riisgaard, Per Valstorp and Julie McHugh to the Xellia Board. Steen brings valuable strategic insight from his time at the helm of Novozymes. His guidance will help the Executive Management team drive their ambitious plans for the future as both a manufacturer and innovator in the development of anti-infectives. With our new non-executive Directors, Per’s impressive track record of operational management, quality and regulatory experience at Novo Nordisk and Julie’s almost 30 years of experience in the specialty and generic biopharmaceutical industry with be invaluable to Company.”
He added, “I would also like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the Board, to thank Peter Chambré, our Chairman since 2008, for his commitment, belief and direction. Also thanks to Thomas Pollare and Tomas Ekman for their help and contribution.
“Over the last five years, we have successfully transformed the business from an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients manufacturer to become a world-leading supplier of life-saving anti-infectives for drug-resistant infection. With the new team on board, this will be a key inflection point for accelerated growth and delivery.”
Steen Riisgard said: “This is very interesting time to be part of Xellia’s story. The Group has significant potential for future growth, rooted in its leading product development competencies, extensive manufacturing expertise, culture of innovation and strong commercial partnerships. I look forward to building on Xellia’s successes to date and taking the Group forward into the next stage of its transformation.”
Further biographical details of the new Chairman and Board members are provided below.
Steen Riisgaard, Chairman
Steen Riisgaard is the former CEO and President of Novozymes A/S, the world’s largest producer of industrial enzymes, leading the company from its spin out from Novo Nordisk A/S in 2000 to 2013. Previous to this, he headed the enzyme business at Novo Nordisk A/S and held a number of senior R&D management positions at Novo Industri A/S including Director of the Detergent Enzyme division and Enzyme Process Research. Steen is Chairman of the Boards of Rockwool International A/S, ALK-Abelló A/S and Cowi Holding A/S and a member of the Boards of CAT Science Park A/S and Novo A/S. He is also Chairman of the Board of WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Denmark. Steen Riisgaard has an MSc in Microbiology from the University of Copenhagen.
Per Valstorp, Non-Executive Director
In addition to his role as SVP, Product Supply at Novo Nordisk A/S, Per Valstorp also serves as member of Senior Management Board of the company. He has been with Novo Nordisk since 1987 holding a number of senior positions including VP for IT, President of the Medical Systems Division and Corporate Vice-President for Health Care Quality and Regulatory Affairs. Per is Chairman of the Board of FeF Chemical A/S and a member of the Boards of DBI Plastics A/S, Mejerigården A/S, Novo Nordisk IT A/S and NNE Pharmaplan A/S. Per is also a Member in EUDP Board, Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building. Prior to Novo Nordisk, he was Associate Professor in Mathematical Statistics & Operational Research at the Technical University of Denmark where he also has an MSc in Operational Research & Planning.
Julie McHugh, Non-Executive Director
Julie McHugh has a track record that spans 27 years in the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, she was the COO at Endo Health Solutions, Inc., with responsibilities for both the specialty and generic pharmaceuticals businesses. Previous to this Julie was CEO of Nora Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage company developing novel therapies for the treatment of infertility disorders, and Company Group Chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s Worldwide Virology Business Unit. Julie has been President of Centocor, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary and was responsible for the product development and commercialization of REMICADE®, a breakthrough therapeutic for Chrohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders. Julie currently serves on the Viropharm, Inc. Board of Directors and the Board of Visitors for the Smeal College of Business at the Pennsylvania State University, US.
For more information, please contact:
Xellia Pharmaceuticals
Carl-Åke Carlsson, CEO
Tel: +45 32 64 55 00
Instinctif Partners (media relations)
Melanie Toyne Sewell / Jen Lewis
Tel.: +44 (0) 20 7457 2029 / +44 (0)1260 296 505
E-mail: xellia@instinctif.com