Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen, formerly Santaris, and now one of Roche's seven global research centers, has found the person to replace US John C. Reed as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

This was apparent in a report sent to the Danish Central Business Register (cvr).

The new Chairman - or rather Chairwoman - for the innovation center, which is focused on the early development of drugs - will be Pearl Huang, who is already part of the Roche organization. Since December 2014, Huang has been Senior Vice President and Head of Therapeutic Modalities in the Swiss group. Before this, she has worked at both GlaxoSmithKline and Merck.

Roche confirms the appointment.

"She has started in her new position. She did so Wednesday last week," says Communications Manager in Roche Denmark, Morten Wiberg, to MedWatch.

The appointment comes after the now former Chairman of the Board at Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen, John C. Reed, announced that he was resigning due to 'personal reasons'. He held the position as Head of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) in the Swiss group for many years. By resigning from this position he also resigned from his position as Chairman of the research center in Denmark.

Since then, it has emerged that he, in connection with a managerial reshuffle within Sanofi, has taken over the position as Head of Global R&D in the French pharmaceutical company after Elias Zerhouni announced that he is retiring after eight years as Sanofi's top research director.

Has not found General Manager yet

With Pearl Huang in position as Chairman, Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen has solved one of two challenges, as the center's General Manager Bo Rode has also resigned from his position. Roche has yet to find a replacement for him.

Bo Ritsmar, who has been Associate Director and HR Business Partner at Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen since 2014, has temporarily taken over the position as General Manager, until Roche can present a new General Manager.

According to Morten Wiberg, the appointment of a new General Manager will be at the top of the list of tasks for the new Chairman.

"As Chairman of the Board it's clear that one of the things Pearl Huang will take a look at first will be to hire a new General Manager. Who that will be has not been decided yet. A process has been initiated to find the right replacement, both internally in Roche and externally, but no potential candidates have been found yet," says Wiberg.

English Edit: Ida Jacobsen

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Roche begins search for new General Manager for Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen