Zealand Pharma has picked Agneta Svedberg to succeed John Hottel as senior VP and chief operating officer.
Hottel is retiring after 15 years at the Denmark-based company he co-founded in 1998.
His successor Svedberg, who takes up her new role from February 1, 2013, joins the firm from Swedish biotech Cantargia where she served as CEO.
The appointment comes at crucial time for Zealand, with its diabetes partnership with Sanofi set to pay off as the big pharma company gears up to launch Lyxumia (lixisenatide) this year.
Svedberg has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, most of which has been spent in northern Europe and includes a ten-year spell with Genmab in Denmark, where her most senior role was global head of clinical development.
She also spent time as head of clinical development (Europe) at Oxigene Europe.
“Our company now stands on the threshold of a new level of maturity and growth,” said Zealand’s president and CEO David Solomon, “and we are confident that Agneta holds the right competences to help structure and steer our organisation optimally to support this transition, both on a strategic and operational level.”
Solomon also paid tribute to the departing Hottel, commenting: “John has been instrumental in the successful development of Zealand Pharma’s business and organisation since the company’s inception, and the Board and I thank him for his valuable contribution and wish him the very best upon his retirement.”