Biogen Announces Three New Nominees for Election to Board of
Directors
Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB) today announced the nomination of John R.
Chiminski, William A. Hawkins and Jesus B. Mantas to stand for
election to the company’s board of directors at its 2019 annual
meeting of stockholders, scheduled for June 19, 2019.
Mr. Chiminski is Chair of the board and Chief Executive Officer
of Catalent, Inc., a global provider of advanced delivery
technologies and development solutions for drugs, biologics and
consumer health products. Mr. Hawkins is a Senior Advisor to EW
Healthcare Partners, a life sciences private equity firm, and is
the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic, Inc.,
a global leader in medical technology. Mr. Mantas is the Managing
Partner and General Manager leading worldwide strategy, offerings,
digital platforms, innovation and thought leadership for IBM Global
Business Services, the $17 billion unit of IBM that helps global
enterprises with their digital transformations.
“We have heard the calls from our shareholders and have acted by
nominating John, Bill and Jesus to join the Biogen Board at this
important time for our company,” said Stelios Papadopoulos, Ph.D.,
Biogen’s Chairman. “We are confident that each of them will provide
valuable insights and expertise as we continue our work discovering
and developing innovative treatments for patients around the world
all the while dedicated to maximizing value on behalf of our
shareholders over the long term.”
“I am excited by the nomination of John, Bill and Jesus and the
additional fresh perspectives that they will bring to our Board. I
look forward to working with them to optimize the allocation of
Biogen’s cash flows for the benefit of all shareholders,” stated
Alexander J. Denner, Ph.D., Chair of the Corporate Governance
Committee. Dr. Denner continued, “Today’s announcement is a
significant step in the board’s refreshment, and we will continue
the process with a view toward further diversifying and enhancing
the makeup of the board.”
“We are excited to announce the nomination of John, Bill and
Jesus for election to Biogen’s Board. Their diverse backgrounds and
experience in scientific, medical, and digital innovation are
highly complementary to our pioneering vision,” said Michel
Vounatsos, Biogen’s Chief Executive Officer. “We believe they will
add to the wealth of our existing expertise while also bringing new
perspectives to our Board as we continue to work to maximize value
for our shareholders and advance our leadership in bringing
breakthrough therapies to patients.”
Mr. Chiminski, Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Mantas are being nominated at
the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders along with the existing 11
directors, who will stand for re-election. If all nominees are
elected, the board would expand to 14 directors, 13 of whom would
be independent.
About John R. Chiminski
Mr. Chiminski has served as the Chief Executive Officer of
Catalent, Inc., a global provider of advanced delivery technologies
and development solutions for drugs, biologics and consumer health
products, since March 2009, as a director since February 2009 and
as Chair of the board since October 2016. Prior to that, Mr.
Chiminski spent more than 20 years at GE Healthcare in engineering,
operations and various senior leadership roles. From 2007 to 2009
Mr. Chiminski was President and Chief Executive Officer of GE
Medical Diagnostics, a global business with sales of $1.9 billion.
From 2005 to 2007 he served as Vice President and General Manager
of GE Healthcare’s Global Magnetic Resonance Business and from 2001
to 2005 as Vice President and General Manager of Global Healthcare
Services. Earlier at GE, he held a series of cross- functional
leadership positions in both manufacturing and engineering,
including a GE Medical Systems assignment in France.
Mr. Chiminski received a B.S. from Michigan State University and
an M.S. from Purdue University, both in electrical engineering, as
well as an M.S. in management from the Kellogg School of Management
at Northwestern University.
About William A. Hawkins
Mr. Hawkins serves as a Senior Advisor to EW Healthcare
Partners, a life sciences private equity firm. Mr. Hawkins is the
former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic, Inc., a
global leader in medical technology. He was at Medtronic from 2002
until 2011. After retiring from Medtronic, he served as President
and Chief Executive Officer of Immucor, a private equity backed
global leader in transfusion and transplant medicine from October
2011 to July 2015. From 1998 to 2001 Mr. Hawkins served as
President and Chief Executive Officer of Novoste Corporation, an
interventional cardiology company. Prior to that, Mr. Hawkins
served in a variety of senior roles at American Home Products, a
consumer, pharma and medical device company, Johnson & Johnson,
a healthcare company, Guidant Corporation, a medical products
company, and Eli Lilly and Company, a global pharmaceutical
company.
Mr. Hawkins also serves as a Director of Avanos Medical, Inc., a
medical technology company, as Chairman of Bioventus, LLC and
Chairman of 4 Tech and as a Director of Trice Medical, Inc.,
AsKBio; Virtue Labs, Cerius, Keratin Biosciences and Baebies, Inc.,
all of which are medical products companies. Mr. Hawkins is Vice
Chair of the Duke University Board of Trustees and is Chair of the
Duke University Health System. Mr. Hawkins was elected as a member
of the AIMBE College of Fellows and the National Academy of
Engineering. He has a dual degree in electrical and biomedical
engineering from Duke University and an M.B.A. from the University
of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
About Jesus B. Mantas
Mr. Mantas is the Managing Partner and General Manager leading
worldwide strategy, offerings, digital platforms, innovation and
thought leadership for IBM Global Business Services, the $17
billion unit of IBM that helps global leading enterprises design,
transform and operate their businesses with digital and cloud
technologies. He also serves on the board of IBM Services, the
world largest technology services provider, and co-chairs the IBM
Hispanic diversity council.
Prior to his current role, he led globally multiple units in
IBM, including Cognitive Process Transformation, Business
Consulting and Global Process Services. From 2010 to 2014 Mr.
Mantas lived in Brazil and led IBM Global Business Services in
Latin America. From 2006 through 2010 he was Vice President of IBM
Enterprise Sector in North America. Prior to joining IBM, Mr.
Mantas was a partner in the High Technology practice of
PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting and an officer in the Air Force
of Spain.
Mr. Mantas serves in the World Economic Forum Global Artificial
Intelligence Council and has been recognized as Top 25 Global
Consulting Leader, Top 100 Hispanic IT Executive and Great Minds in
STEM. He has degrees in telecommunications, software engineering
and business administration from the Polytechnic University of
Madrid and has served as professor at the Paul Merage School of
Business, University of California Irvine.
About BiogenAt Biogen, our mission is clear: we
are pioneers in neuroscience. Biogen discovers, develops, and
delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with
serious neurological and neurodegenerative diseases as well as
related therapeutic adjacencies. One of the world’s first global
biotechnology companies, Biogen was founded in 1978 by Charles
Weissmann, Heinz Schaller, Kenneth Murray, and Nobel Prize winners
Walter Gilbert and Phillip Sharp, and today has the leading
portfolio of medicines to treat multiple sclerosis, has introduced
the first and only approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy,
and is focused on advancing neuroscience research programs in MS
and neuroimmunology, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, movement
disorders, neuromuscular disorders, acute neurology, neurocognitive
disorders, pain, and ophthalmology. Biogen also commercializes
biosimilars of advanced biologics.
We routinely post information that may be important to investors
on our website at www.biogen.com. To learn more, please visit
www.biogen.com and follow us on social media – Twitter, LinkedIn,
Facebook, YouTube.
Additional Information and Where to Find
ItBiogen, its directors and certain of its executive
officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of
proxies from stockholders in connection with the matters to be
considered at Biogen’s 2019 annual meeting of stockholders. Biogen
intends to file a proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with such
solicitation of proxies from stockholders. STOCKHOLDERS ARE
STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ SUCH PROXY STATEMENT WHEN IT BECOMES
AVAILABLE AS IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Information
regarding ownership of Biogen stock and other securities by Biogen
directors and executive officers is included in their SEC filings
on Forms 3, 4 and 5, which can be found through the Biogen website
(www.biogen.com) in the section “Investors” or through the SEC’s
website at www.sec.gov. Additional information about Biogen’s
directors and executive officers and their interests is set forth
in Biogen’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2018, which was filed with the SEC on February 6,
2019, and Biogen’s proxy statement for its 2018 annual meeting of
stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 27, 2018, and
in Biogen’s other SEC filings, which can be found through Biogen’s
website (www.biogen.com) in the section “Investors” or through the
SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. More detailed and updated information
regarding the identity of potential participants, and their direct
or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be
set forth in the proxy statement and other materials to be filed
with the SEC in connection with
Biogen’s 2019 annual meeting of stockholders. Stockholders will
be able to obtain any proxy statement, any amendments or
supplements to the proxy statement and other documents filed by
Biogen with the SEC for no charge at the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov. Copies will also be available at no charge at Biogen’s
website at www.biogen.com.
Biogen Safe HarborThis news release contains
forward-looking statements, made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including statements relating to: our business activities; our
strategy and plans; the potential of our commercial business and
pipeline programs; capital allocation and investment strategy; the
potential election of Mr. Chiminski, Mr. Hawkins and Mr.
Mantas to the Biogen Board of Directors; the potential expansion of
the Biogen Board of Directors at the 2019 annual meeting of
stockholders; and the expected benefits from the potential election
to the Biogen Board of Directors of Mr. Chiminski, Mr. Hawkins and
Mr. Mantas. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by
words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,”
“except,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,”
“possible,” “will,” “would” and other words and terms of similar
meaning. You should not place undue reliance on these
statements.
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in
such statements, including, without limitation: our dependence on
sales from our products; difficulties in obtaining and maintaining
adequate coverage, pricing and reimbursement for our products;
failure to protect and enforce our data, intellectual property and
other proprietary rights and uncertainties relating to intellectual
property claims and challenges; uncertainty of long-term success in
developing, licensing or acquiring other product candidates or
additional indications for existing products; failure to compete
effectively due to significant product competition in the markets
for our products; failure to successfully execute or realize the
anticipated benefits of our growth and strategic initiatives; the
risk that positive results in a clinical trial may not be
replicated in subsequent or confirmatory trials or success in early
stage clinical trials may not be predictive of results in later
stage or large scale clinical trials or trials in other potential
indications; the occurrence of adverse safety events; delay in
approval of our drug candidates; product liability claims; and
third party collaboration risks. The foregoing sets forth many, but
not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ
from our expectations in any forward-looking statement. Investors
should consider this cautionary statement, as well as the risk
factors identified in our most recent annual or quarterly report
and in other reports we have filed with the SEC. These statements
are based on our current beliefs and expectations and speak only as
of the date of this news release. We do not undertake any
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future developments or
otherwise.
MEDIA CONTACT:David Caouette+ 617 679
4945public.affairs@biogen.com |
INVESTOR CONTACT:Matt Calistri+1 781 464 2442IR@biogen.com |
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