Non-Executive Directors
Our Board of Directors as at December 31, 2024 comprised the following 9 Non-Executive Directors:
Mr. Peter Verhaeghe
Peter Verhaeghe has served as a member and chairperson of the board of arGEN-X B.V. since October 2008 and as Non-Executive Director on our Board of Directors since July 2014.
Mr. Verhaeghe is the managing partner of VVGB Advocaten-Avocats, a corporate finance law and tax law firm, a position he has held since July 1999. He is currently lead counsel to a number of Belgian, Dutch, French, U.S. and Swiss life sciences companies. Mr. Verhaeghe has served on the boards of directors of Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen NV since May 2018 and miDiagnostics NV since April 2020. He has also served as chairman of the board of Haretis SA (Luxembourg) since March 2011 and as chairman of the LP & advisory committee of Bioqube Factory Fund I NV since September 2020. Mr. Verhaeghe previously served as a member of the board of directors of CzechPak Manufacturing s.r.o., Innogenetics NV (now Fujirebio Europe N.V.), Tibotec-Virco NV, and Biocartis SA. He was also the president of the board of directors of Merisant France SAS, a member of the management board of Merisant Company 2 S.à. rl., and chairman of the board of directors of PharmaNeuroBoost NV.
Mr. Steve Krognes
Steve Krognes has served as a member of our Board of Directors and as a chairperson of our Audit and Compliance Committee since February 2023.
Mr. Krognes also serves on the boards of directors of Guardant Health, Inc., Denali Therapeutics, Inc., and Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. In September 2023, he also was appointed to the board of directors of ClayvstBio. He previously served on the boards of directors of RLS Global AB and Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Gritstone Bio, Inc. Mr. Krognes was the chief financial officer of Denali Therapeutics, Inc. from 2015 until retiring from that position in April 2022. Mr. Krognes led successful financings for Denali Therapeutics, Inc., including its initial public offering in 2017, and contributed significantly to the company’s strategy, growth and strong financial position. His extensive leadership experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries includes 12 years in total at Roche and Genentech, Inc., during which Mr. Krognes served as chief financial officer of Genentech, Inc. for six years and global head of Roche’s mergers & acquisition team for six years. He also chaired the Genentech Access to Care Foundation and represented Genentech on the board and executive committee of the California Life Science Association. Before that, Mr. Krognes worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, and as a venture capitalist in Scandinavia.
Dr. Donald deBethizy
Donald deBethizy has served as a member of our Board of Directors since May 2015.
Dr. deBethizy has 30 years of experience in research and development, as well as financial, business and operating management, and board work in the biotechnology and consumer products industries.
He is the president of White City Consulting ApS, also known as Custom Coaching) a consulting company that specializes in advising technology-focused companies. Dr. deBethizy currently serves on the boards of directors of Lophora ApS and Proterris, Inc. and as a board advisor for Cereno Scientific AB.
Previously, Dr. deBethizy served as president and CEO of Santaris Pharma A/S until October 2014, when the company was sold to Roche. From March 1997 to June 2012, Dr. deBethizy was co-founder and CEO of Targacept, Inc., a U.S. biotechnology company listed on Nasdaq. From June 2012 to May 2013, he was special advisor to the chairman of Targacept, Inc.’s board of directors. From May 2013 to November 2014, Dr. deBethizy served as executive chairman of Contera Pharma ApS until it was sold to Bukwang Pharma, and from July 2015 to November 2017, he served as chairman of Rigontec GmbH until it was sold to Merck Inc. He previously served as chairman of the boards of directors of Albumedix Ltd (sold to Sartorius AG in September 2022), Saniona AB, and TME Pharma NV and AG. Dr. deBethizy was also a member of the boards of directors of Asceneuron SA, Serendex Pharmaceuticals A/S, Enbiotix Inc., Ligocyte Pharmaceuticals until it was sold to Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Biosource Inc., and NOXXON Pharma N.V. Dr. deBethizy has held adjunct appointments at Wake Forest University Babcock School of Management, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Duke University.
Dr. Pamela Klein
Pamela Klein has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2016.
Since 2008, Dr. Klein has been a principal and founder of PMK BioResearch, a company offering strategic consulting in oncology drug development to corporate boards, management teams and the investment community. She has also been a venture partner in Ysios Capital Partners, SGIEC, S.A.U. since 2023. She currently serves as a member of the board of directors of several companies including Shasqi and Patrys Ltd; as well as various scientific advisor boards. In 2023, Dr. Klein also joined the boards of directors of Frontier Medicines Corp, Ona Therapeutics SL, and Sardona Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, Dr. Klein served on the board of directors of Sardona Therapeutics, Inc., F-Star Therapeutics, Inc. until March 2023, Jiya Acquisition Corp, and Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, Inc. until its merger with F-Star Therapeutics in July 2020. Dr. Klein previously spent seven years at the National Cancer Institute as research director of the NCI-Navy Breast Center, after which she joined Genentech as vice president of development until 2001. She also served as chief medical officer for Intellikine, Inc., which was acquired by Takeda American Holdings.
Anthony Rosenberg
Anthony Rosenberg has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2017.
He currently serves as chief executive officer of TR Advisory Services GmbH, his own consultancy firm advising on business development, licensing, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Rosenberg also currently serves as chairman of the boards of directors of NUCLIDIUM AG, Oculis SA and Cullinan Therapeutics Inc. Previously Mr. Rosenberg held the positions of Managing Director at MPM Capital, a venture capital firm (2015 until 2020); head of M&A and Licensing of Novartis International (2013 to 2015); and head of business development and licensing at Novartis Pharma (2005 to 2012). Mr. Rosenberg also previously served on the boards of directors of SiO2 Material Science (until March 2023), Radius Health Inc., TriNetX, Inc., iOmx Therapeutics AG, and Clinical Ink, Inc.
James Daly
James Daly has served as a member of our Board of Directors since May 2018. Mr. Daly currently also serves as a director of Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He was formerly a member of the board of Halozyme, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Chimerix, Inc.
In 1985, he joined GlaxoSmithKline where he held various positions, including senior vice president of the respiratory division with full responsibility for sales, marketing and medical affairs. Mr. Daly moved to Amgen Inc. in 2001 where he was senior vice president for the North America commercial operations until 2011. In 2012, he joined Incyte Corp, a publicly-traded company focused on oncology and inflammation, where he was chief commercial officer until June 2015.
Camilla Sylvest
Camilla Sylvest has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2022. Ms. Sylvest currently serves as the executive vice president of commercial strategy and corporate affairs of Novo Nordisk A/S.
Ms. Sylvest has more than 28 years of working experience within Novo Nordisk A/S and was based in Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, and Mainland China. Over the years, Ms. Sylvest has headed up Novo Nordisk A/S affiliates of growing size and complexity in Europe. She was also corporate vice president of the business area Oceania and Southeast Asia and senior vice president and general manager of the Novo Nordisk A/S region of Mainland China. Ms. Sylvest also serves as a member of the board of Danish Crown A/S.
Dr. Ana Cespedes
Ana Cespedes has served as a member of our Board of Directors since December 2022. Dr. Cespedes is currently the chief operating officer of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, a global organization dedicated to developing accessible vaccines and antibodies for infectious diseases. She will resign from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative as of the end of March 2025 and she will become the chief executive officer of Vitamin Angels at the end of March 2025.
Prior to joining the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Dr. Cespedes held several roles at Merck KGaA, most recently serving as global head of strategy and engagement, government, and public affairs. She founded and led the global market access and pricing function for the company and worked with stakeholders to communicate the clinical, economic, and societal value of innovative medicines. Prior to that, Dr. Cespedes led the first integrated corporate affairs group at Serono Iberia and Merck Spain, was managing director of the Spanish branch of the company’s nonprofit organization, and worked as a senior consultant at Arthur Andersen. Dr. Cespedes is a founding member of the National Congress of Corporate Affairs in Spain, the London School of Economics Market Access Academy, and the Cooperation for Oncology Data. She is also the founder of Living Mindfulness S.L. Dr. Cespedes is also a member of the steering committee of ProPatiens Institute.
Dr. Brian Kotzin
Brian Kotzin has served as a member of our Board of Directors and as a chairperson of our research and development committee since May 7, 2024.
He is a former member of the board of directors at Vera Therapeutics, Inc., Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. He served as Senior Vice President for Nektar Therapeutics, Inc. from April 2017 to June 2023, and has held various leadership positions at Nektar Therapeutics, Inc., including serving as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Clinical Development from January 2021 to September 2021 and again from May 2022 to June 2023. He currently is the interim chief medical officer at Nektar Therapeutics, Inc. From 2004 to 2015, Dr. Kotzin was Vice President, Global and Clinical Development and Head, Inflammation Therapeutic Area at Amgen Inc., directing the global development efforts for product candidates in the inflammation area. During his employment at Amgen Inc, he also served as Vice President of Translational Sciences and Head of Medical Sciences from 2006 to 2011. Prior to entering the life sciences industry, Dr. Kotzin held several positions as a professor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where his research focused on immunopathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. He has also held leadership roles at several national organizations, including as a member of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Board of Directors, Member and Chairperson of the NIH Immunological Sciences Study Section, Chairperson of the NIH Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence, and Member of the Board of Directors for the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies.
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the current non-executive members of our Board of Directors, including their ages, as at December 31, 2024:
Name |
|
Age |
|
Gender |
|
Position |
|
Nationality |
|
Date of Initial Appointment |
|
Date of last |
|
Term expiration |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr. Peter Verhaeghe |
|
66 |
|
M |
|
Non-Executive Director (chairperson) |
|
Belgium |
|
October 15, 2008 |
|
May 7, 2024 |
|
2026 |
||||
Mr. Steve Krognes |
|
56 |
|
M |
|
Non-Executive Director |
|
U.S. and Norway |
|
February 27, 2023 |
|
February 27, 2023 |
|
2027 |
||||
Dr. Donald deBethizy |
|
74 |
|
M |
|
Non-Executive Director (vice-chairperson) |
|
U.S. |
|
May 13, 2015 |
|
May 2, 2023 |
|
20251) |
||||
Dr. Pamela Klein |
|
63 |
|
F |
|
Non-Executive Director |
|
U.S. |
|
April 28, 2016 |
|
May 7, 2024 |
|
2026 |
||||
Anthony Rosenberg |
|
71 |
|
M |
|
Non-Executive Director |
|
UK |
|
April 26, 2017 |
|
May 11, 2021 |
|
2025 |
||||
James Daly |
|
63 |
|
M |
|
Non-Executive Director |
|
U.S. |
|
May 8, 2018 |
|
May 10, 2022 |
|
2026 |
||||
Camilla Sylvest |
|
52 |
|
F |
|
Non-Executive director |
|
Denmark |
|
September 8, 2022 |
|
September 8, 2022 |
|
2026 |
||||
Dr. Ana Cespedes |
|
51 |
|
F |
|
Non-Executive director |
|
Spain |
|
December 12, 2022 |
|
December 12, 2022 |
|
2026 |
||||
Dr. Brian Kotzin |
|
76 |
|
M |
|
Non-Executive Director |
|
U.S. |
|
May 7, 2024 |
|
May 7, 2024 |
|
2028 |
||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
The address for our Non-Executive Directors is our registered office, Laarderhoogtweg 25, 1101 EB Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The following table sets forth the companies and partnerships of which the current non-executive members of our Board of Directors have been a member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies or partner at any time in the previous five years, indicating whether or not the individual is still a member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies or partner, as of the date of this Annual Report, other than argenx or our subsidiaries:
Name |
|
Current |
|
Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr. Peter Verhaeghe |
|
|
|
|
Mr. Steve Krognes |
|
|
|
|
Dr. Donald deBethizy |
|
|
|
|
Dr. Pamela Klein |
|
|
|
|
Anthony Rosenberg |
|
|
|
|
James Daly |
|
|
|
|
Camilla Sylvest |
|
|
|
|
Dr. Ana Cespedes |
|
|
|
|
Dr. Brian Kotzin |
|
|
|
|