Gino Santini joins board of directors at Horizon

Former senior VP of corporate strategy and business development at Eli Lilly & Company Gino Santini has joined the board of directors of Horizon Pharma.

This adds to his current positions on the boards of Allena Pharmaceuticals and AMAG Pharmaceuticals since leaving Lilly in 2010.

"We are pleased to welcome Gino to our board of directors," said Timothy Walbert, chairman, president and CEO of Horizon Pharma.

"His extensive domestic and international commercial and business development experience and success will be an asset as Horizon continues to grow."

Gino Santini

Santini spent almost 30 years at Lilly, joining in 1983 as a financial planning associate in Italy.

He went to hold various positions in the company's financial and marketing divisions, before being appointed president of US operations in 1999; senior VP corporate strategy and policy in 2004; and senior VP corporate strategy and business development in 2008.

Outside Lilly, Santini has experience as chair of the board of the US National Pharmaceutical Council and of non-profit agency Noble, serving individuals with developmental disabilities.

He has also served on the board of directors for United Way and the executive committee and board of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile Horizon's current board member Louis Bock will not stand for re-election when his term expires at the 2012 annual meeting to be held on June 8, 2012 and Dr Hubert Birner has resigned from the company's Board.

"On behalf of the board of directors of Horizon Pharma, I would like to thank Lou and Hubert for their contributions, dedication and support of the company and its stockholders and we wish them both well," said Walbert.