- New governance structure with separation of the functions of CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Andreas Segerros be appointed Chief Executive Officer of Nicox to June 1st2022
- Jean-François Labbé, current board member by Nicoxto become the future chairman of the board of directors
- Co-founder Michele Garufi will remain on Nicox’s board of directors
May 16, 2022 – release at 7:30 am CET
Sophia-Antipolis, France
Nicox HER (Euronext Paris: FR0013018124, COX), an international ophthalmology society, announces today that its Board of Directors has appointed Andreas Segerros as Chief Executive Officer of Nicox SA on May 13and2022, starting June 1st2022, following the decision of the Board to terminate the mandate of Michele Garufi, who had been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the Company since its creation in 1996. Michele Garufi will remain a director of Nicox SA.
The Board has also decided to separate the functions of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Current member of the Board and Chairman of the Audit Committee, Jean-François Labbé was proposed by the Board to become the future Chairman of the Board. This appointment is subject to the approval of an amendment to the Company’s bylaws aimed at increasing the age limit of the Chairman of the Board, which will be the subject of a resolution to be voted on at the next Extraordinary General Meeting of the society. During the interim period, the board has appointed Michele Garufi as interim chairman of the board, effective June 1st2022.
Michele Garufi, President advice by Nicox HER mentioned “Having led Nicox since its foundation to become one of Europe’s most promising ophthalmology R&D companies, I am pleased that the Board of Directors has decided to entrust the management of the company to Andreas Segerros. I am very confident that Andreas and the team will continue to successfully develop Nicox as a major player in the ophthalmic field through the latest development phase of NCX 470. I will be honored to support Andreas as a board member and wish him all the best in his new venture. The same time, I would like to warmly thank all my employees, the members of the Board of Directors and all our commercial partners during the years of my Presidency who have largely contributed to making Nicox a leader in its therapeutic field..”
“Working to bring new and innovative ophthalmic treatments to market has been an important part of my professional life, and renewing this commitment with Nicox is indeed an honor,” said Andreas Segerros, C.chief Eexecutive Oofficer by Nicox HER. “With its rich pipeline, near-term development of NCX470, and the hard work and vision of a talented and passionate team, we can expect to deliver products to treat some of the most prevalent and most common ophthalmic disorders. in the world, with the potential to make a significant difference in the lives of patients.”
Andreas Segerros
Andreas Segerros has spent most of his career in the global pharmaceutical industry, with management positions (R&D, marketing and business development) in the United States, Europe and Japan, at Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn and Ferring, with an emphasis on specialty pharmaceuticals, ophthalmology in particular. As Global Head of Ophthalmology at Pharmacia, Andreas launched XALATAN® (latanoprost), making it the industry’s first billion-dollar eye drug. His venture capital experience comes from being a partner in the Scandinavian group Sunstone Capital and having co-founded Eir Ventures. Andreas has made numerous investments in successful companies in Europe and the United States. Andreas holds an MSc in Organic Chemistry from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, and an MBA in International Finance from Uppsala University, Sweden.
Jean-Francois Labbe
Jean-François Labbé has been a member of the board of directors of Nicox since 2010 and chairman of the audit committee of Nicox since 2013. Mr. Labbé is the founder and managing director of SpePharm Holding BV, a pan-European specialty pharmaceutical company. Prior to founding SpePharm, Mr. Labbé was Managing Director of OTL Pharma SA from 2001 to 2004 and Managing Director of ProStrakan UK from 2004 to 2005. He began his career at Roussel Uclaf in 1974, then Hoechst Roussel and HMR, where he has held various positions in Europe, the United States and was a member of the executive committee of the HMR before its merger with Aventis in 1999. Mr. Labbé holds an MBA from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC ), Paris, France.
Nicox is headquartered in Sophia Antipolis, France, is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment C: Mid Caps; Ticker: COX) and is part of the CAC Healthcare, CAC Pharma & Bio and Next 150 indices.
For more information about Nicox, its products or its pipeline, please visit: www.nicox.com.