AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a Swiss-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a broad pipeline focused on neurodegenerative diseases, announced that shareholders in the company have elected Douglas Williams as Chairman of the Board at today’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).
At the AGM held in Lausanne, shareholders also elected Martin Velasco, previously Chairman, as Vice-Chairman of the Board. They re-elected Peter Bollmann, Friedrich von Bohlen, Andrea Pfeifer, Thomas Graney and Werner Lanthaler and elected Roy Twyman as members of the Board of Directors. Detlev Riesner has retired and did not stand for re-election.
Prof. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Dr. Douglas Williams to the role of Chairman of the Board of AC Immune, to which he brings more than 30 years of experience and insight into the biotechnology industry. We’ve already benefited from his leadership expertise as a member of our Board since 2018. In his career, Douglas has held senior executive roles at both pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and played a role in the development of several novel drugs.
The Board also welcomes Dr. Roy Twyman as a new member. Roy is an experienced neurologist who spent nearly 20 years at Janssen on its Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Leadership team where he oversaw clinical R&D and strategic planning for Alzheimer’s disease and other CNS disorders. Strengthening our Board of Directors with such accomplished industry leaders validates the strength and potential of our pipeline, and we believe their strategic guidance positions us for success as we continue to advance multiple clinical programs targeting neurodegenerative diseases.”
“We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to Martin Velasco for his committed service as Chairman of the Board of AC Immune. We are honored by his dedication and delighted to continue benefiting from his knowledge and experience in his role as Vice-Chairman.”
Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D. Biography
Dr. Williams is currently the President, CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Codiak BioSciences. He was previously Biogen’s Executive Vice President, Research and Development. He joined Biogen from ZymoGenetics, where he was most recently CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Previously, he held leadership positions within the biotechnology industry, including Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Seattle Genetics, and Senior Vice President and Washington Site Leader at Amgen. Dr. Williams served in a series of scientific and senior leadership positions over a decade at Immunex, including Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. During his 30+ year career in the biotechnology industry, he has played a role in the development of several novel drugs and has served on the board of numerous biotechnology companies.
Roy Twyman, M.D. Biography
Dr. Twyman is a neurologist and currently CEO and founder, Amron Neuroscience, LLC, a private consulting company focused on neuroscience drug development. Prior to this, Dr. Twyman spent almost 20 years at Janssen Research & Development, LLC (a Johnson & Johnson company) and was a member of the Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Leadership team responsible for clinical R&D and strategic planning of CNS neurology and psychiatry pipeline products. From 2012 to March 2018, he was a Senior Vice President in the Neuroscience Therapeutic Area overseeing the Alzheimer’s Disease Area. He currently participates as an independent board member or as a scientific advisory board member for a number of small biotech or pharmaceutical companies.
