Clavis Pharma ASA announced today the appointment of Jan Alfheim as Chief Business Officer. Mr. Alfheim has more than 20 years of international experience relating to product and corporate development within the pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical industries. Prior to joining Clavis, Mr. Alfheim was President and Member of the Board of StemPath Inc., a position he has held since April 2005. He was Director of Business Development at Neurochem Inc (NASDAQ:NRMX) from 2001-2005. Before joining Neurochem, Mr. Alfheim held senior management positions in Europe, including Director of Technology at Dyno-Radnor AS, and Project Director at Nycomed Imaging AS (now part of GE Health). Jan started his career as a research chemist in 1985 with the Center for Industrial Research (now part of SINTEF). Mr. Alfheim received a Masters of Business Administration from McGill University in 2002, and holds a Masters of Science degree in Chemistry from Concordia University. Mr. Alfheim will assume his new responsibilities at Clavis Pharma immediately and he will reside in Oslo, Norway. He succeeds Gustav Christensen who has taken up the position of Executive VP and Chief Business Officer in Dyax Inc (USA).
"We are very pleased to welcome Jan to the Clavis team. Business development will become increasingly important to the company and Jan, with his broad international experience, is very well qualified to bring Clavis forward in this area." says Tom Pike, current CEO of Clavis Pharma.
Following last month's announcement of the appointment of Mr. Geir Christian Melen as new CEO, and the proposed appointment of Mr. Tom Pike as Executive Chairman, this concludes the current process of strengthening and reorganising the company's management team. The combined team now encompasses substantial skills and experience from big pharma and biotech companies and all aspects of the business, including drug discovery, drug development, business development, marketing and finance. "Mr. Tom Pike will continue his commitment to Clavis in his new role as Executive Chairman. Spending about half of his time on Clavis, he will continue to be a significant core asset to the Company going forward." says Carl Christian Gilhuus-Moe the, current Chairman of the Board of Clavis.
A complete biography of the new management team and other key employees is included in this document.
Oslo, Norway, 15 October 2007
Contact:
Tom Pike
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: + 47 915 19 652 / + 47 24 11 09 50
tom.pike@clavispharma.com
Complete Management Team and other Key Employees - Biographies
Mr. Tom E. Pike, current CEO, proposed new Executive Chairman. Mr. Pike joined as a non-executive director to the Board of Clavis Pharma in June 2002 and became Chairman and CEO in October 2003. Before that he had more than 18 years experience as CEO, sales and marketing director, business alliance manager and other positions in Hoffmann-La Roche in Norway and Switzerland. He has served on the Board (past Chairman) of the Norwegian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers for 8 years, of which 4 as chairman. Mr. Pike has been a Venture Partner in NeoMed Management since October 2003 and has a B.Sc. in Pharmacology. Mr. Pike resigned as the Chairman of Clavis Pharma to serve as the full CEO at the Annual Shareholders Meeting in February 2006 in relation to the Listing of the Company. Mr. Pike is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway.
Mr. Geir Christian Melen, incoming CEO. Mr. Melen brings to Clavis more than 10 years of senior management and executive experience in the pharmaceutical sector. Mr. Melen currently holds the position as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Algeta ASA, a Norwegian therapeutics company focusing on the development of products for treatment of cancer. Prior to this, Mr. Melen served as the CFO of PhotoCure ASA, a Norwegian company that develops and sells pharmaceuticals and medical devices, targeting key dermatology and oncology markets. Both Algeta and PhotoCure are listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Prior to joining PhotoCure, Mr. Melen held management positions within Saga Petroleum ASA and has also served as business consultant within the Deloitte audit group of companies. Mr. Melen holds a M.Sc. in business from the Norwegian School of Business and Administration. Mr. Melen is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway.
Mr. Ole Henrik Eriksen, COO, was part of the establishment of Clavis Pharma in August 2001 and served as CEO until October 2003. Prior to that he had 18 years of experience as scientist, Director, VP and CEO in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic imaging industry, including Nycomed Imaging (now part of GE Healthcare), Medinnova, NeoRad AS and Alertis Medical AS. Mr. Eriksen holds a M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim. Mr. Eriksen is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway.
Mr. Gunnar Manum, CFO , was engaged in February 2007. Mr. Manum has long and broad experience from several managerial positions within finance and accounting with Stolt Sea Farm (now part of Marine Harvest) and with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Australia. For the last eight years, he has worked with corporate finance related issues for Norwegian and Nordic clients with Handelsbanken Capital Markets. He holds a M.Com in Finance from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Mr. Manum is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway
Dr. Bo I. Nilsson, CMO, is a qualified specialist within cancer and blood diseases. He has a wealth of experience in blue chip pharma development. For the last 20 years Dr. Nilsson has held senior medical positions in both small and large pharmaceutical companies. Most recently Dr. Nilsson held the position of Chief Medical Officer in Unibioscreen S.A. in Belgium. Mr. Nilsson is a licensed physician and holds a degree as M.D. from the University of Gothenburg and a Ph.D. from the University of Lund. Bo is Board Certified in Sweden within the areas of Internal Medicine and Hematology. Dr. Nilsson is a Swedish citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway and Helsingborg, Sweden.
Mr. Jan Alfheim, CBO, has more than 20 years of international experience relating to product and corporate development within the pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical industries. Prior to joining Clavis, Mr. Alfheim was President and Member of the Board of StemPath Inc., a position he has held since April 2005. He was Director of Business Development at Neurochem Inc (NASDAQ:NRMX) from 2001 -2005. Before joining Neurochem, Mr. Alfheim held senior management positions in Europe, including Director of Technology at Dyno-Radnor AS, and Project Director at Nycomed Imaging AS (now part of GE Health). Mr. Jan Alfheim received a Master of Business Administration from McGill University in 2002, and holds a Masters of Science degree in Chemistry from Concordia University. Mr. Alfheim is a Norwegian & Canadian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway.
Vice Presidents:
Mr. Finn Myhren, VP Chemical and Pharmaceutical R&D, has been with Clavis Pharma from its inception in August 2001. Before that he had 20 years experience as a scientist and lecturer at the University of Oslo and Director of Organic Chemistry at Hydro. He holds a M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry. Mr. Myhren is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Porsgrunn, Norway.
Dr. Marit Liland Sandvold, VP Preclinical R&D, has been with Clavis Pharma from its inception in August 2001. Before that she had 20 years experience as a scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, and as a Director of Biotechnology at Hydro. She holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics. Dr. Sandvold is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Porsgrunn, Norway.
Dr. Wenche Rasch, VP Clinical R&D, has been with Clavis Pharma since October 2002. Before that she had 14 years experience as a scientist at the University of Oslo, Université Laval, Quebéc and Clinical Research Coordinator/Senior Manager at Nycomed Imaging/ Amersham Health. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Physiology. Dr. Rasch is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway.
Ms. Tone Veiteberg, VP Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs, has been with Clavis Pharma from its inception in August 2001. Before that she had 16 years experience as advisor and Director of Medical and Regulatory Affairs in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry including the Norwegian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, Leo Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline. She holds a M.Sc. in Pharmacy. Ms. Veiteberg is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway.
Ms. Tove Flem Jacobsen, VP Market Strategy, joined Clavis Pharma in April 2002. Before that she had 14 years experience as Marketing Director, Product Manager and Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at Nycomed Imaging/Nycomed Arzneimittel/ Amersham Health (now part of GE Healthcare). She holds a M.Sc. in Pharmacy. Ms. Jacobsen is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway
Dr. Petter-Arnt Hals, VP Biology,joined Clavis Pharma 1 October 2007. He has more than 20 years experience working with GE Healthcare (previously Nycomed Imaging and Amersham) in several senior research positions, most recently as Director in the Biology R&D unit. He has a PhD in pharmacology and is a registered toxicologist (Eurotox). Dr. Hals has been teaching at the University of Oslo and the University of Tromsø as an Assistant Professor. He will be working with preclinical research and development in Clavis Pharma. Mr. Hals is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Oslo, Norway.