Sosei Heptares Confirms Changes to its Board and Executive Management Team at Annual Shareholders’ Meeting
- Eiko Tomita, Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb, elected to the Company’s Board of Directors
- Candelle Chong promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, previously Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy
Tokyo, Japan and Cambridge, UK, 23 March 2023 – Sosei Group Corporation (“the Company”; TSE: 4565), the world leader in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) focused structure-based drug design (SBDD) and development, announces the election of Ms. Eiko Tomita to the Board of Directors as an Independent External Director, and the promotion of Ms. Candelle Chong to Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff at the Company’s 33rd Annual Shareholders’ Meeting and a subsequent Board of Directors meeting, held today in Tokyo.
Shinichi Tamura, Chairman of Sosei Heptares, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Eiko to the Board of Directors at Sosei Heptares. She is a highly experienced pharmaceutical executive, and her deep knowledge of drug development, regulatory affairs and product commercialization, both internationally and in Japan, will be a significant addition as the Company drives its core strategy towards becoming one of Japan’s biopharmaceutical champions.”
Chris Cargill, President & CEO of Sosei Heptares, added: “I would like to congratulate Candelle on her well-deserved promotion. This newly created role is key to the successful management and growth of Sosei Heptares and will benefit from Candelle’s proven track record in strategy implementation and operations across multiple areas such as business development, corporate finance transactions, communications, investor relations and human resources.”
Biographies
Ms. Eiko Tomita
Eiko has over 35 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, both internationally and in Japan, having held roles across R&D, business strategy and commercialization at several global biopharmaceutical companies. Eiko currently serves as Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb where she oversees regulatory affairs in over 40 countries. Prior to joining Bristol Myers Squibb in 2007, Eiko held roles at Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Monsanto and Eisai.
Eiko is a qualified pharmacist and holds an MBA from the University of Wales, Cardiff.
Ms. Candelle Chong
Candelle joined Sosei Heptares in April 2018 as Vice President Corporate Strategy and was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff in March 2023. Candelle has also held interim positions as Head of Human Resources and Head of Site Operations and has managed group strategic projects, corporate finance transactions, internal and external communications, and investor relations.
Prior to joining Sosei Heptares, Candelle spent over five years in healthcare investment banking at J.P. Morgan in Sydney, Australia and in London, UK. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Further details of the Board of Directors and Executive Officers
Board of Directors (effective 23 March 2023)
Chairman of the Board Shinichi Tamura (reappointed)
Representative Executive Officer Chris Cargill (reappointed)
Independent External Director Tomohiro Tohyama (reappointed)
Independent External Director Kuniaki Kaga (reappointed)
Independent External Director David Roblin (reappointed)
Independent External Director Noriaki Nagai (reappointed)
Independent External Director Rolf Soderstrom (reappointed)
Independent External Director Miwa Seki (reappointed)
Independent External Director Eiko Tomita (appointed)
Executive Officers (effective 23 March 2023)
President & Chief Executive Officer Chris Cargill
EVP, President of Heptares Therapeutics, Head of UK R&D Matt Barnes
EVP, Chief Financial Officer Hironoshin Nomura
EVP, Chief Accounting Officer Kieran Johnson
EVP, Chief Compliance Officer Kazuhiko Yoshizumi
EVP, Chief of Staff Candelle Chong
-ENDS-
About Sosei Heptares
We are an international biopharmaceutical group focused on the discovery and early development of new medicines originating from our proprietary GPCR-targeted StaR® technology and structure-based drug design platform capabilities. We are advancing a broad and deep pipeline of novel medicines across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology, immunology, gastroenterology, and inflammatory diseases.
We have established partnerships with some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies and multiple emerging technology companies, including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Genentech (Roche), GSK, Kallyope, Lilly, Neurocrine Biosciences, Novartis, Pfizer, Takeda and Verily. Sosei Heptares is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with corporate and R&D facilities in Cambridge, UK.
“Sosei Heptares” is the corporate brand and trademark of Sosei Group Corporation, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4565). Sosei, Heptares, the logo and StaR® are trademarks of Sosei Group companies.
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Enquiries:
Sosei Heptares – Media and Investor Relations
Hironoshin Nomura, Chief Financial Officer
Candelle Chong, Chief of Staff
Shinichiro Nishishita, VP Investor Relations, Head of Regulatory Disclosures
Japan: +81 (0)3 5210 3399 | United Kingdom: +44 (0)1223 949390 |
MEDiSTRAVA Consulting (for International Media)
Mark Swallow, Frazer Hall, Eleanor Perkin
+44 (0)203 928 6900 |
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the discovery, development, and commercialization of products. Various risks may cause Sosei Group Corporation’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: adverse results in clinical development programs; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and commercialize products and services; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services resulting from development efforts; the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand commercialization activities; and product initiatives by competitors. As a result of these factors, prospective investors are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
