ProStrakan’s chairman Peter Allen has resigned from the company and will step down from the UK specialty pharmaceutical company’s board at the end of the year.
He will be replaced by Dr John Brown, who is currently chairman of the government-backed Cell Therapy Catapult and Scottish contract research organisation CXR Biosciences.
Dr Brown also co-chairs the Scottish Government’s Life Science Industry Advisory Board and was formerly chairman of BTG, Axis-Shield and, prior to that, chief executive of Acambis.
His appointment takes effect on January 1, 2014 after the departures of Peter Allen and non-executive Dr Michael Asbury, moves that ProStrakan said follow its own successful integration into its Japanese parent company Kyowa Hakko Kirin.
ProStrakan’s chief executive Dr Tom Stratford said: “Peter and Mike have each been long-standing members of the ProStrakan board and, during their time with us, ProStrakan has grown significantly and transitioned from being a small independent company into an important part of Kyowa Hakko Kirin.”
He added: “We are thrilled to have been able to attract someone with John’s credentials as our new chairman. John brings with him a wealth of experience of the life sciences industry and we look forward to the guidance and advice that he will undoubtedly bring to the ProStrakan board.”