Belgium
May 23, 2012
Patrik De Haes has been appointed as the new chairman of the Board of Directors of FlandersBio. He succeeds Johan Cardoen who stands down after five years in the post. Patrik De Haes, who is the CEO of ThromboGenics, has been a director of FlandersBio for the last two years.
Ann De Beuckelaer, Managing Director of FlandersBio, is very pleased with this appointment: “For FlandersBio, which is focused on further expanding the biotechnology sector in Flanders, it is important that the chairman of our Board of Directors is an entrepreneur who is fully acquainted with the workings of a biotech company and who is sensitive to the specific needs of the sector. Patrik De Haes, the top man at ThromboGenics, is therefore the perfect candidate. In addition, his successful business experience in, among other places, the USA will be a great asset as we look to extend the international reach of FlandersBio. We are therefore looking forward to present our new chairman on 24 May 2012 at Knowledge for Growth, the largest regional biotech conference in Europe."
Who is Patrik De Haes?
Patrik De Haes has more than 25 years of experience in the global healthcare sector. Since 2007, he has been CEO of the Leuven-based biopharmaceutical company ThromboGenics, which is developing ocriplasmin, a novel medicine for important retinal disorders. Ocriplasmin has already been submitted to the regulatory authorities for approval in the US and Europe. The biotech company is also developing new antibody based medicines to treat cancer and thrombosis. Investment analysts believe that ThromboGenics has a positive future based on the potential of ocriplasmin, which is expected to reach the market in 2013. Prior to joining ThromboGenics, Patrik was Head of Roche’s global insulin infusion business and was President and CEO of Disetronic Medical Systems Inc, a medical device company in Minneapolis (USA). In addition, he led the global development and marketing of Sandoz Pharma’s (now Novartis) first biotech product while based in Switzerland.
”As chairman of FlandersBio, I am looking forward to using my international experience in the healthcare sector to support the further development of the Flemish biotech industry. I hope in this way to contribute to increasing the number of successful and dynamic biotech companies operating in Flanders.”
New chairman presented at Knowledge for Growth
The new chairman of FlandersBio will be presented on 24 May 2012 during Knowledge for Growth, Europe’s largest regional biotech convention. On that day, some 1000 biotech players will gather together at the ICC Ghent. Participants in Knowledge for Growth will be given an overview of the expanding biotechnology sector. International keynote speakers will include Jean-François Mayaux (Sanofi R&D), Tom Adams (Monsanto), Johan Van Hoof (Crucell) and Ismail Kola (UCB). In addition, Flemish biotech companies such as ThromboGenics, Galapagos, BioCartis, PharmaNeuroBoost, arGEN-X, are on the programme.
In addition, there is also a financial programme - Finance & Deal making for Biotech. A key trend for biotech companies in Flanders, as they mature, is signing partnerships with international pharmaceutical companies for the development and marketing of their medicines. This major development within the biotech sector leads to much greater involvement with financial stakeholders and other partners. Pyramis will be on hand to explain why American investors are interested in Flemish biotech companies quoted on the stock exchange and Takeda and Lundbeck will be highlighting the role of corporate ventures. Panel discussions about ‘Finance & Deal Making’ complete the programme.
The complete programme can be found here.
FlandersBio is the umbrella organization of the Life Sciences and Biotechnology sector in Flanders. It is a dynamic organization with 250 members which supports the further expansion of this innovative sector.
The FlandersBio network brings together Flemish companies with innovative and R&D activities in the life sciences that are developing medicines, diagnostics, medical technologies, crop varieties or industrial biotech products. The FlandersBio network also includes academic research institutes, investors and companies that supply services and technologies for the Life Sciences sector. By organizing network activities, we are building bridges between the various players and by actively promoting and guiding innovation and R&D among our members, FlandersBio is creating an important added value for the whole sector.
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