Board/Management Information • Aug 22, 2021
Board/Management Information
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BERGENBIO ASA: LEADERSHIP CHANGE
Bergen, Norway, 22 August 2021 - BerGenBio ASA (OSE:BGBIO), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company developing novel, selective AXL inhibitors for severe
unmet medical need, announces the appointment of Martin Olin as new Chief
Executive Officer from 8 September 2021.
Following twelve years as CEO of BerGenBio, Richard Godfrey has decided to step
down as CEO of the Company with immediate effect to pursue other business
interests. Rune Skeie, Chief Financial Officer of BerGenBio, will assume the
role of interim CEO until 8 September 2021.
Mr Olin brings more than 20 years of executive experience in the pharmaceutical
and biotechnology industry to BerGenBio. He previously served as CEO of
Symphogen, a biotechnology company focused on the development of protein drugs
based on recombinant monoclonal antibody mixtures, acquired by Servier in 2020.
Before joining Symphogen in 2012, Mr. Olin was a senior partner with SLS Invest,
a Scandinavian based healthcare focused private equity fund. Previously, he held
managerial positions in Novo Nordisk including Finance Director, EMEA. Most
recently he has served as Managing Partner of Nordic Eye, a Copenhagen based
Venture Capital firm.
Sveinung Hole, Chairman of BerGenBio, commented: "Martin brings vast experience
as a leader in the life sciences industry with a proven track record of success.
BerGenBio has reached a critical phase, with its lead candidate bemcentinib
demonstrating promising data and progress in Lung cancer, Leukemia and
potentially COVID-19. The Board agrees that Martin is ideally qualified to lead
BerGenBio into the next phase of its development.
I would like to thank Richard both personally and on behalf of the BerGenBio
team for his dedicated work to the Company over the past twelve years. Richard
has played a pivotal role in establishing BerGenBio as a clinical stage company
and has guided the Company throughout the challenging backdrop of the global
COVID-19 pandemic. We wish him every success in the future."
Martin Olin, Chief Executive Officer of BerGenBio commented, "BerGenBio has
pioneered the understanding of AXL biology and the potential of AXL inhibition
as a cornerstone therapy for the treatment of serious diseases. I am very
excited to join the Company and look forward to working with the board and team
to continue the progression of our lead candidate bemcentinib, as well as the
pipeline of drug candidates, through further clinical development and ultimately
to the patients we believe will benefit from them."
Richard Godfrey said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my past twelve years at
BerGenBio and will keenly watch the progress with bemcentinib as it progresses
through the exciting next steps. Now is a natural time for me to hand over to
Martin. I wish the Board and whole team every success for the future."
-Ends-
Contacts
Sveinung Hole, Chair, BerGenBio ASA
Rune Skeie, Interim CEO and CFO, BerGenBio ASA
International Media Relations
Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Welsh, Lucy Featherstone, Carina Jurs
Consilium Strategic Communications
+44 20 3709 5700
About BerGenBio ASA
BerGenBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing
transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential cornerstone of therapy for
aggressive diseases, including immune-evasive, therapy resistant cancers. The
company's proprietary lead candidate, bemcentinib, is a potentially first-in
-class selective AXL inhibitor in a broad phase II clinical development
programme focused on combination and single agent therapy in cancer, leukaemia
and COVID-19. A first-in-class functional blocking anti-AXL antibody,
tilvestamab, is undergoing phase I clinical testing. In parallel, BerGenBio is
developing a companion diagnostic test to identify patient populations most
likely to benefit from AXL inhibition: this is expected to facilitate more
efficient registration trials supporting a precision medicine-based
commercialisation strategy.
BerGenBio is based in Bergen, Norway with a subsidiary in Oxford, UK. The
company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: BGBIO). For more
information, visit?www.bergenbio.com
This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU
Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant
to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
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