People Spotlight — November 2022

AstraZeneca has appointed Stefan Woxström as SVP of AstraZeneca Europe and Canada (EUCAN), and will be responsible for leading the company’s sales, marketing, and commercial operations in 30 European countries and Canada. He joins from AstraZeneca Japan, where he held the position of country president since January 2018. Woxström succeeds Iskra Reic, who has assumed the role of EVP, vaccines and immune therapies at AstraZeneca.

Capital Rx, a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) and health tech firm, announced that healthcare industry veteran Marcel White has joined the company as chief people officer. He brings over 30 years of human resources (HR) experience in the health insurance, pharmacy benefits, and hospitality industries, most recently as head of HR for a strategic growth segment at Humana Inc.

Peli BioThermal, a temperature-controlled packaging company, has announced Douglas Ross as president. Ross brings more than 20 years of experience in the pharma industry, with deep expertise in operational excellence, logistics, and business development.

Stephanie Hasenbos-Case

Inizio, a partner for health and life sciences that offers advisory, medical, marketing, communications, and patient and stakeholder engagement services, has appointed Stephanie Hasenbos-Case as chief human resources officer (CHRO). She will lead Inizio’s global human resources team, driving the organization’s people strategy, which includes overseeing key areas such as talent management, leadership development, and compensation and benefits. Hasenbos-Case has more than 25 years of international experience working across multiple industries as a strategy and management consultant, corporate leader, and global CHRO. Prior to joining Inizio, Stephanie led highly successful global HR teams in professional services, financial services, and engineering/construction.

UBC, a company providing integrated clinical, safety, and commercialization services, announced that effective Jan. 1, 2023, Bekki Brown, UBC’s COO, will be promoted to the role of president and CEO. Her more than 20 years of senior management experience focused on strategic growth and operational excellence for industry organizations such as Quintiles, INC Research, and Syneos Health, will be critical in designing UBC’s long-term market position, expanding their service model, and maintaining their financial strength.

PharmaLex Group, a provider of specialized services for the pharma, biotech, and medtech industries, has appointed Sophie Guillaume as managing director of BlueReg, which recently merged with PharmaLex.BlueReg has become a player in strategic regulatory advice and outsourcing consultancy in France and across Europe. The company serves both large and small pharma as well as biotech clients, locally and internationally.

Rentschler Biopharma SE, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals, has appointed Christiane Bardroff as COO, effective Dec. 1. With over 15 years of biopharma experience, Bardroff will head clinical and commercial manufacturing, engineering and technology operations, as well as production automation.

Sy Pretorius

EVERSANA has named Sy Pretorius as the company’s new COO and president, outsourced solutions. Pretorius, who specializes in the clinical development and commercial operations spaces, joins EVERSANA with more than 25 years of life sciences experience, including multiple executive advisory roles, most recently serving as president, clinical development and CMO, at Parexel. He will be responsible for driving operational excellence across the company’s growing outsourced operations including channel management, compliance services, field deployment solutions, and patient services, as well as critical infrastructure teams including information technology and business transformation.

Amarin Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited has appointed Scott Curley to its UK and Ireland team as general manager. In his new role, he will initially focus on developing and growing Amarin’s organizational infrastructure to ensure the successful launch of VAZKEPA, the company’s branded form of icosapent ethyl, which is used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events—such as heart attack and stroke—caused by blocked blood circulation.

Incyte appointed Peter Williams as general manager for Incyte Biosciences United Kingdom and Ireland. In his role, Williams will be responsible for the development of medical, regulatory, and commercial strategy for the biopharma company’s portfolio of products in the UK and Ireland. With over 20 years of pharma industry experience, he is a senior sales and marketing leader with broad experience gained in different commercial functions and senior management roles.