Galapagos appoints Dr. Susanne Schaffert as non-executive independent Director to its Board
Galapagos NV (Euronext & NASDAQ: GLPG) today announced that during its meeting of 12 June 2023, the Board of Directors co-opted Dr. Susanne Schaffert as non-executive independent Director. Dr. Schaffert replaces Dr. Rajesh Parekh who stepped down on 10 June 2023.
After an extraordinary 27-year career at Novartis in various global roles, including commercialization, market access, investor relations, business development & licensing, acquisitions and company integration, Dr. Schaffert retired in 2022 as President of Novartis Oncology and Member of the Novartis Executive Committee. In that role, Dr. Schaffert ran a global $15 billion business across 80 countries, accelerating the internal product pipeline with six new clinical programs, multiple global launches, and making the first CAR-T therapy, Kymriah®, commercially available in 36 countries, including the US, Europe, and Japan.
Dr. Schaffert is also a member of the Board of Directors of Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ: INCY) and Novo Holdings A/S, and a member of the Novo Advisory Group (NAG) and the Executive Education Board of St. Gallen Business School.
“On behalf of the Galapagos’ Board of Directors, I am very pleased to welcome Susanne to our Board,” said Dr. Paul Stoffels (1), CEO and Chairman of Galapagos. “Susanne brings a wealth of R&D, regulatory and commercial expertise in oncology, and more specifically in CAR-T therapy. Her operational experience, global network and understanding of the competitive landscape in oncology will offer important perspectives and strategic input to our Board as we continue our work to deliver transformational medicines to patients.”
“I am very honored to join the Board of Directors of Galapagos,” commented Dr. Susanne Schaffert. “I look forward to contributing to the company’s mission to pioneer for patients and accelerate science and innovation to address important unmet needs.”
“The Board and I also want to sincerely thank Dr. Rajesh Parekh for his invaluable contributions and commitment as former Chairman and member of the Board of Directors during his 19-year tenure. As a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of Galapagos in the early days, I had the opportunity to work with Raj, and I have always greatly appreciated his leadership and insights in building out the company throughout the years,” concluded Dr. Paul Stoffels, CEO and Chairman of Galapagos.
(1) Throughout this press release, ‘Dr. Paul Stoffels’ should be read as ‘Dr. Paul Stoffels, acting via Stoffels IMC BV’