BMS looks to Caforio as next CEO

Chutes and Ladders

Welcome to this week's Chutes and Ladders, our roundup of hirings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word--or the bad--from your shop to Eric Sagonowsky (email) or Amirah Al Idrus (email | Twitter), and we will feature it here at the end of each week.

BMS looks to Caforio as next CEO

Bristol-Myers Squibb
Giovanni Caforio stepped in as CEO.

Italian native Giovanni Caforio took the reins at Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) this week, taking over for Lamberto Andreotti at a time that will see the company's top line hit hard by a blockbuster patent loss, though the company has seen early success in immuno-oncology. Caforio, previously COO, has been at BMS for nearly 15 years, having started as vice president for medicine sales in Italy in 2000. His climb up the corporate ladder has been swift, as he was named chief commercial officer in 2013 and chief operating officer last year. Andreotti served as CEO for 5 years and will become chairman of the board. Story


After unexpected Novo Nordisk departure, Schultz to lead Lundbeck

Lundbeck
Kåre Schultz was named CEO.

After departing Novo Nordisk ($NVO) as COO and expected CEO-to-be last week, Kåre Schultz was named CEO at Lundbeck, a position vacant since November when the last CEO stepped down amid controversy. Schultz will be tasked with turning around the drugmaker challenged by patent losses from Lexapro and Cipralex as it relies on a handful of new drugs. He replaces Ulf Wiinberg, who stepped down in November for a violation of the company's conflict-of-interest policy. Schultz said he's "motivated and inspired by Lundbeck's vision and excited to bring my business background to lead Lundbeck to the next phase of its development." Story | Release


Hampton steps in as GSK chairman

GlaxoSmithKline
Philip Hampton joined as chairman.

Philip Hampton took the chairman position at British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) this week as the company faces mounting pressure and growing discontent with its chief executive, Andrew Witty. Hampton will begin a review of several company execs and will be tasked with revamping the board, replacing Christopher Gent in the chairman role. The 61-year-old Hampton previously led the Royal Bank of Scotland Group after the U.K.'s biggest bank bailout and managed a turnaround of retailer J Sainsbury. Also this week, Unilever ($UN) vet Manvinder Singh Banga joined GSK's board. Story


Pfizer R&D leader heads to biotech, prompting internal promotion

Pfizer
José-Carlos Gutiérrez-Ramos left for biotech.

Pfizer's ($PFE) head of BioTherapeutics R&D in Cambridge, MA, José-Carlos Gutiérrez-Ramos, left the pharma to rejoin biotech this week, prompting the promotion of Michael Ehlers inside the research group. Gutiérrez-Ramos--who previously worked with Nick Leschly of bluebird bio ($BLUE) and David Schenkein of Agios ($AGIO)--left for an unnamed biotech in the Cambridge area. Previously, he played a leading role in the June 2014 opening of the 284,000-square-foot research center in Kendall Square. Story | Release


Zoetis will whack 10 plants as part of a cost-cutting scheme. Story

Siemens announced 4,500 more layoffs, with recent cuts topping 10,000. Article


Biotech

> Versartis ($VSAR) names Jay Shepard as president and CEO. Release

> Ziopharm Oncology ($ZIOP) appoints Dr. Laurence Cooper as CEO. Release

> Applied Proteomics names Erwin Estigarribia as vice president of commercial operations. Release

> Synthetic Biologics ($SYN) names Maureen Early as vice president, commercial. Release

> Dr. David Bernstein joins Paion as medical adviser and nonexecutive director. Release

> Foamix Pharma ($FOMX) adds Aaron Schwartz to its board of directors. Release

> Tiziana Life Sciences' CFO Phil Boyd has resigned. Release

> Oxford BioMedica adds Daniel Soland as nonexecutive director to the board. Release

> Kiadis Pharma appoints Dr. Vincent Brichard to its supervisory board. Release

> Aerie ($AERI) adds Richard Croarkin to its board of directors. Release

> NeuralStem appoints Jonathan Lloyd Jones as chief financial officer. Release

> Oxis Biotech adds Dr. Cassian Yee to its scientific advisory board. Release

> ZS Pharma ($ZSPH) adds Kimberly Popovits to its board of directors. Release

> Advaxis ($ADXS) names Thomas Hare as vice president, clinical operations. Release

> Autolus appoints John Berriman and Kapil Dhingra to its board of directors. Release

> InMed ($IMLFF) adds Peter Mountford as strategic adviser. Release

> Tocagen adds Dr. David Parkinson to its board of directors. Release

> Neurocrine Biosciences appointed Bill Aurora as its vice president of medical affairs. Release

> Immunomic Therapeutics named Eric Winzer its chief financial officer. Release

> Genovis vice president Fredrik Olsson moved up to be the company's CEO. Release

> Steven Shallcross joined Synthetic Biologics as the company's chief financial officer. Release

> Intarcia brought on James Brady as its vice president of human resources. The company also named Michael Williams its COO. Release | Release

> Trevena appointed Carrie Bourdow as its chief commercial officer. Release

> Ciclofilin Pharmaceuticals named Michael Kamdar as its president. Release

> Macrocure hired Lewis Gryziewicz as its vice president of regulatory affairs. Release

> Acucela's founder, Ryo Kubota, regained his spot as the company's CEO. Release

> Anggie Becorest joined ALT as its senior vice president of business development. Release

> Clyde Higgs took on the executive vice president position in charge of operations and business development at Castle & Cooke. Release

> Theorem Clinical Research brought on Scott Treiber to head its biopharmaceutical development. Release

> OMEICOS appointed Ulrich Dauer as its CEO. Release

> Canon U.S. Life Sciences brought on Akiko Tanaka as president and CEO. Release

Vaccines

> Immunomic Therapeutics appoints Louise Peltier as vice president of regulatory affairs. Release

CRO

> Profil Institute for Clinical Research appoints Dr. Michael Trautmann as senior director of drug development services and Dr. Gordon Brandt as senior director of clinical development and regulatory affairs. Release

> Catalent ($CTLT) adds Gregory Lucier to its board of directors. Release

Drug Delivery

> ARx promotes Tadgh Prendeville to general manager. Release

> Impax ($IPXL) named Donna Hughes a senior vice president of human resources and Deborah Penza a senior vice president and chief compliance officer. Release

Pharma Marketing

> Jane Horvath joined 3D Communications to lead its program on market access and reimbursement communications services. Release