Ipsen appoints new UK and Ireland leader
Asad Mohsin Ali has been appointed general manager of Ipsen UK and Ireland
He joins the specialist pharmaceutical company from Tesaro, where he served as acting vice president and general manager for the UK, Ireland and Nordics. There he oversaw the oncology-focused company’s launch in the region, as well as the launch and UK reimbursement of its PARP inhibitor in recurrent ovarian cancer.
Prior to his time there, Ali spent 17 years at Novartis, working across various global and country roles.
Commenting on the appointment, Harout Semerjian, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer at Ipsen said: “Asad is motivated by exceeding his external and internal stakeholders’ expectations and has demonstrated strong leadership skills in all roles to date.
“He has had the opportunity to work across the full spectrum of the drug lifecycle, from discovery to patent expiry, and his operational and strategic experiences will be vital assets that will help propel Ipsen UK & Ireland to the next level of continued growth and best places to work.”
Ali’s new role will see him lead Ipsen’s commercial presence in the UK and Ireland.
He will also act as head of site for its global hub based in Slough, UK, as well as chair of Ipsen’s UK management forum.
He said: “The growth and global expansion of this company over recent years is testament to the desire that each and every individual has to be part of meaningful change for patients, doctors and health services.
“We have real potential to build on our UK & Ireland footprint over the coming years and my desire is that we create a true global hub for innovation across this region, building on the impressive Global talent that exists in the UK.”
Ali succeeds Ewan McDowall, who will now act as head of Asia, speciality care.
Laura Hamill joins Gilead
Gilead Sciences has poached Amgen’s senior vice president, commercial operations, Laura Hamill.
She joins the company as its executive vice president, worldwide commercial operations, and becomes a member of its senior leadership team. Hamill’s hiring helps bring in fresh blood to the company, which has seen many of its long-standing senior executives, including CEO John Milligan, announce their departure in the last few months.
During her 16-year stint with Amgen, Hamill worked in a number of executive roles, including general and regional management, US reimbursement and access, and manufacturing.
In addition to her executive positions at Amgen, Hamill served as a board member of the Amgen Foundation and was the executive leader of the company’s Senior Women’s Advisory Council.
Prior to her time with Amgen, Hamill held a variety of roles in the biopharmaceutical industry, including positions at Hoffmann La-Roche and Klemtner Advertising.
She also currently serves on the advisory board of the Women Business Leaders of the US Health Care Industry Foundation.
John Milligan, president and CEO of Gilead, said: “Over the past several months, we have conducted an extensive search for a new leader and we believe that Laura brings to Gilead the kind of operational rigour and organisational experience that will help us as we seek to build on our position of strength in existing therapeutic areas and introduce products in new ones.
“She has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to transform infrastructure and capabilities to drive innovation and business performance. Most importantly, she shares Gilead’s vision of advancing treatments that dramatically improve the lives of people with life-threatening illnesses, and we believe that her skills and expertise will complement that of other Gilead leaders as we move into the future with our next generation of medicines.”
Orchard Therapeutics expands leadership team
Gene therapy focused Orchard Therapeutics has announced two new additions to its executive leadership team.
Kathryn Payne (pictured above) takes up the post of senior vice president, global head of communications and external affairs.
She joins Orchard from AMAG Pharmaceuticals, where she served as senior vice president, corporate affairs, directing the company’s communications, government relations and advocacy activities.
During her time there, Payne led the internal and external communications strategy for six corporate and business development transactions.
Her expertise includes stakeholder engagement, issues and crisis management, media relations and corporate identity.
During her new role, Payne will be responsible for leading the global corporate communications and external affairs function, spanning internal and external communications, investor relations, patient advocacy and government relations.
Meanwhile, John Cerio, who has over 25 years of human resources leadership experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, also joins the team as its senior vice president, global head of human resources.
Until recently, Cerio (pictured above) served as vice president of human resources and administration for Agenus, where he led the human resources and real-estate functions. He has also served in various positions for Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Mark Rothera, president and chief executive officer of Orchard, said: “We look forward to Katie and John applying their deep expertise as we shape our business for future growth with an unrelenting commitment to enhancing the lives of patients living with rare disease.
Katie is a proven communications leader who comes to us with an extensive portfolio of success in global corporate communications, brand building, public affairs and patient advocacy.
“John has a strong record of executive leadership in the life sciences space and is adept at translating corporate strategy into an effective workforce and organisational plan.”