PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Industry Movers: MaaT Pharma, RB, Gelita and Clasado
MaaT Pharma moved swiftly to appoint Claude Bertrand, as member to the French firm’s board of directors, who also introduced Dr John Weinberg, as MaaT Pharma’s new chief medical officer.
“John has a proven track record of guiding and managing clinical development programs for microbiome therapeutics which will be critical as we accelerate the development of MaaT013 and expand our portfolio with our capsule formulation, MaaT033,” commented Hervé Affagard, MaaT Pharma’s co-founder and CEO.
Weinberg’s previously held the position of chief medical officer at the microbiome firm 4D Pharma, where he oversaw the clinical development program and initiating Phase I/II studies.
With over 25 years’ experience primarily in the pharmaceutical industry, he has held senior positions at Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Enzon Pharmaceuticals.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Weinberg said, “I am very excited to join as the company is poised to expand its therapeutic focus beyond haematological cancer indications. My goal is to define an innovative clinical development program and contribute to the continued growth of the pipeline.”
“I look forward to working alongside my fellow board members to guide and support the development of the company and its exciting pipeline,” added Dr Bertrand.
RB hire
Another company making a change to its executive committee is Reckitt Benckiser (RB), which earlier this month made Angela Naef its new chief research & development officer.
Effective 14 September, the role also includes membership of RB’s executive committee and will see her developing RB’s science capability and platforms as well oversee external partnerships.
“I am pleased to welcome Angela to RB,” said RB’s CEO Laxman Narasimhan. “Investing in science to better scale, leverage and accelerate sustainable, differentiated innovation is essential to unlocking our strategy of ‘Rejuvenating Sustainable Growth.’
“I believe that continued investment in science, and further enhancing science partnerships, to be core drivers of RB’s transformation."
Gelita double appointment
More comings and goings occurred mid-month, this time from Gelita as the German firm made a move for Dr Sven Abend to become an executive board member effective from 1 November 2020.
Dr Abend is to succeed Dr Franz Josef Konert as of 1 January 2021, who is retiring at the end of the year.
The gelatine and collagen peptide specialists also appointed Jan Christoph Teetz as the firm’s CFO effective from 1 October 2020.
Dr Abend comes to Gelita having been Lonza Group’s COO, where he was responsible for the Specialty Ingredients division, and was also a member of the Executive Board. Teetz was CFO at tesa SE, a company of the Beiersdorf Group, for over 10 years.
In a statement, Gelita’s supervisory board said the appointments would, “ensure the company's successful development and enable it to master the challenges of the future”.
Clasado Biosciences
Finally, UK-based Clasado Biosciences appoints Gareth Clark to EU sales & marketing director of the prebiotic ingredients firm.
Previously with LEHVOSS Nutrition as senior product & brand manager Clark’s experience includes roles within Azelis Life Sciences and Cornelius Group.
“I’m delighted to join the Clasado team in what is a very exciting time for the business,” he said.
“Consumers are actively seeking science-backed ways to support gut health on a microbiome level and beyond, which makes an ingredient like Bimuno an extremely attractive prospect!
“I’m looking forward to joining Clasado on this journey and helping to increase the reach of the business.”
Per Rehné, CEO at Clasado, added, “We are delighted to welcome Gareth to the Clasado team. What’s crucial to us is that we don’t just offer an effective science-backed ingredient to the market, but in doing so actively contribute to global gut health awareness.
“With almost 20 years in the food and nutrition sector and expertise in turning raw data and insight into commercial value, Gareth is perfectly positioned to help us achieve this, and a great match for the team.”
