Non-executive directors bring significant leadership
experience and healthcare expertise
DUBLIN, Nov. 17, 2020
/PRNewswire/ -- Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) today
announced that Jennifer Cook and
Mark D. Smith, M.D. have been
appointed to the Company's Board of Directors, effective
December 1, 2020.
"We are excited to welcome two industry leaders to the
Board whose complementary skills and experiences will help us
advance our strategy to transform the lives of patients. Jennifer
brings over 30 years of biopharmaceutical experience with
significant c-suite, product development and commercialization
expertise globally, and Mark, a practicing physician, is a
nationally-recognized expert in health policy, reimbursement and
delivery systems," said Bruce
Cozadd, chairman and CEO of Jazz Pharmaceuticals. "Jazz is
well-positioned for transformative growth, with strong commercial
franchises, a robust and productive pipeline and a commitment to
targeted investments in our global platform. As we seek to
leverage our robust R&D assets to develop new treatments and
utilize our proven commercialization engine to bring these
innovations to market, we will benefit from Jennifer's and Mark's
insights and leadership."
Ms. Cook said, "I am excited to join the Board and look forward
to putting my experience to work as the Company brings new and
exciting therapies to market. I am impressed by how the team
has navigated the current environment, having launched three new
products this year alone, and am confident in Jazz's future."
Dr. Smith added, "This has been a transformative year for
Jazz, and I am honored to be joining the Company's Board. Jazz
has an important purpose and I am eager to support its mission
to deliver life-changing medicines to patients in areas of high
unmet need."
Ms. Cook joins Jazz as a Class II director and will be up for
election at the Company's 2022 annual meeting. Dr. Smith joins Jazz
as a Class I director and will be up for election at the Company's
2021 annual meeting.
The Company also announced that after many years of outstanding
service and dedication, Elmar Schnee
will not seek reelection when his term expires at the Company's
2021 annual meeting of shareholders, and Paul Berns will step down on or before the
Company's 2021 annual meeting of
shareholders.
"I want to express our deepest appreciation for Elmar's and
Paul's numerous contributions to Jazz during their many years of
service on the Board of Directors," said Mr. Cozadd. "Their
industry and product development expertise have been invaluable in
positioning Jazz as a leader in sleep medicine with a growing
hematology/oncology portfolio. It is an honor to work closely with
Elmar and Paul and I look forward to their continued counsel and
engagement over the next several months."
About Jennifer Cook
Ms.
Cook was the Chief Executive Officer at GRAIL, Inc., a
privately-held early cancer detection diagnostic company from
January 2018 to June 2019. Prior to that, Ms. Cook was at Roche
Pharmaceuticals/Genentech for 25 years where she held a number of
senior management positions covering the full lifecycle of product
development and commercialization. From 2010 to 2013, she oversaw
Genentech's U.S. Immunology and Ophthalmology Business Unit, and
from 2013 to 2016, she led Roche's European commercial business.
She also served as Roche's Global Head of Clinical Operations
throughout 2017. In 2016, Ms. Cook was recognized as Woman of the
Year by the Healthcare Businesswoman's Association.
Ms. Cook currently serves as non-executive director on the
boards of two publicly-held biotechnology companies, Denali
Therapeutics Inc., and BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. She also serves on
the board of Ambys Medicines, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology
company. Ms. Cook received a B.A. in human biology and a M.S. in
biology from Stanford University and an
M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley.
About Mark Smith, M.D.
Mark Smith, M.D., is a
professor of clinical medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, where he
has served since 1994. From 1996 to 2013, Dr. Smith was the
founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the
California HealthCare Foundation, an independent nonprofit
philanthropy organization. Prior to that, from 1991 to 1996, he
served as Executive Vice President at the Henry J. Kaiser Family
Foundation.
Dr. Smith currently serves as non-executive director on the
boards of two publicly-held healthcare companies, Phreesia Inc. and
Teladoc Health, Inc. He also serves on the board of The
Commonwealth Fund, a private health policy foundation, and the
Institute for Health Care Improvement, an independent nonprofit
organization. Dr. Smith holds a B.A. from Harvard College, an M.D. from the University of North Carolina, and an M.B.A. from
the Wharton School at the University of
Pennsylvania.
About Jazz
Pharmaceuticals plc
Jazz Pharmaceuticals
plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) is a global biopharmaceutical company
dedicated to developing and commercializing life-changing medicines
that transform the lives of patients with serious diseases —
often with limited or no options. We have a diverse portfolio
of marketed medicines and novel product candidates, from
early- to late-stage development, in key therapeutic areas. Our
focus is in neuroscience, including sleep and movement
disorders, and in oncology, including hematologic
malignancies and solid tumors. We actively explore new options
for patients including novel compounds, small molecule
advancements, biologics and innovative delivery technologies. Jazz
is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and has employees
around the globe, serving patients in more than 90 countries.
For more information, please visit www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com and
follow @JazzPharma on Twitter.
Media Contact:
Jacqueline
Kirby, Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Government
Relations
Ireland +353 1 697
2141 U.S. +1 215
867 4910
Investor Contact:
Kathee Littrell, Vice President, Investor
Relations
Ireland +353 1 634
7887 U.S. +1 650
496 2717
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1335723/Jazz_Pharmaceuticals_Jennifer_Cook.jpg
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1335722/Jazz_Pharmaceuticals_Mark_Smith.jpg
Logo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/272253/Jazz_Pharmaceuticals_Logo.jpg