Ex-J&J exec Denice Torres joins bluebird bio’s board

Ex-Johnson & Johnson executive Denice Torres (pictured above) has been appointed to bluebird bio’s board of directors.

During her time at J&J, Torres held several executive leadership roles including president of McNeil Consumer Healthcare and president of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, CNS.

She also served as chief strategy and transformation officer for J&J’s medical device division. Torres has expertise in leading large-scale transformations, from strategy to execution.

Prior to J&J, Torres worked for 14 years at Eli Lilly in a range of commercial roles, including leading US women’s health, global neuroscience and growth hormone. In 2015, she was named Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s (HBA) woman of the year.

In addition to her professional experience, Torres is the founder of The Mentoring Place, a volunteer platform that focuses on helping to accelerate the careers of women.

She is also the founder of The Ignited Company, a consulting firm specialising in the development of high-performing individuals and teams.

“We’re excited to welcome Denice to the Board to help guide bluebird as we reach the next stage in our evolution,” said Nick Leschly, president and chief executive officer at bluebird.

“Denice brings valuable perspective and exceptional industry insights based on over 25 years of executive management experience in pharmaceuticals, medical device and consumer healthcare for global organisations.

“In addition, she has a deep understanding of the benefit of cultivating people, diversity and culture to strengthen internal collaboration and propel companies forward. We look forward to her contributions as we work to deliver critical therapies to our patients,” he added,