Alan Boyce has been appointed coo of Synexus with responsibility for Synexus' global operations. Synexus is the largest multinational company in the recruitment and running of late stage clinical trials. Alan joins from Kendle, the global clinical research organisation, where he was vice president of operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Prior to his position with Kendle, Alan spent 18 years in the pharmaceutical division of Procter and Gamble.
Xencor, the US-based company who develops protein and antibody therapeutics, has appointed Jade Brown (pictured) to vice president of business development. He brings to the position more than 16 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry as a business development executive leading high profile transactions both nationally and internationally. Brown was most recently chief business officer at Cell Therapeutics where he led the company's business development, European affiliate, manufacturing, operations and marketing.
Brendan Cummins, coo since at Ciba Specialty Chemicals since October 2005, has been appointed as the new ceo. Kurt Feller vice-chairman of the board, will retire from the firm's board of directors, who recently decided to cancel their retention agreements, following an AGM on March 8, 2007.
Invetech, specialist in instrument development has appointed Alex Zrolka (pictured) as its vice president of business development for life sciences for North America. In this new position, Zrolka will be charged with the planning and execution of business development strategies that will be essential for the successful growth of the company in the US life sciences market. Prior to Invetech, he held various marketing management, business development, sales and sales management, and consulting positions with organizations such as Biotech Envoy, Genicon Sciences, QIAGEN, Bio-Rad laboratories and DNAStar.
Global bionanotech company pSivida has appointed Paul Ashton as managing director of pSivida. He will be located at the pSivida head office in Boston, US. Ashton's appointment is part of a program of consolidation of management and increased focus of operations instituted by the board of directors, the firm says. Roger Brimblecombe, chairman of the board, will retire from service to pSivida. Ashton was most recently the company's executive director of strategy.
Also at pSivida, David Mazzo will assume a new role as non-executive chairman. Mazzo is currently president and ceo of Chugai Pharma USA, a subsidiary of Chugai Pharmaceutical Company (Japan), part of the Roche group of companies.
Patrik De Haes and Franky Terras are to join biotech company ThromboGenics as coo and patent counsel respectively.
De Haes has over the last 20 years held a number of positions in product development, marketing and general management with blue-chip companies in the life science sector, including Roche Diagnostics, Disetronic Medical Systems and Sandoz Pharma.
Terras has spent more than seven years as a patent counsel for a number of biotechnology companies, including Innogenetics in Belgium, where he supervised over 400 patent applications, and conducted infringement and freedom-to-operate analyses.