Coulter Partners secures Supervisory Board Directors for Pharming Group

Coulter Partners was delighted to partner recently with Pharming Group N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: PHARM), to secure the nomination of Barbara Yanni and Mark Pykett to the Board of Supervisory Directors. An Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders is expected to be convened later this year for their official appointment. Until that moment, Barbara Yanni and Mark Pykett will hold an observational role within Pharming’s Board of Supervisory Directors. Pharming Group N.V. is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative products for the safe, effective treatment of rare diseases and unmet medical needs.

Paul Sekhri, Chairman of the Board of Supervisory Directors, commented:

“We are thrilled to nominate Barbara Yanni and Mark Pykett as new members of the Board of Supervisory Directors. Their extensive experience and strong track record in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology in the US complements the existing expertise of our Board. Accordingly, they will further strengthen the Board’s ability to effectively oversee Pharming’s fast-growing global business activities, especially those in the increasingly important US market and I thank the team at Coulter Partners for their professional support in achieving these key nominations.”

Sijmen de Vries, Chief Executive Officer, added:

“I welcome Barbara Yanni and Mark Pykett to Pharming. I look forward to working closely with them both, as we continue to implement our growth strategy from a strong financial position with additional cash resources to invest in the Company’s long-term prospects.”

Barbara Yanni

Barbara Yanni has over thirty-five years of experience in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. She currently serves as an independent director of three public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies, including Trevena (NASDAQ: TRVN), Vaccinex (NASDAQ: VCNX) and Akcea (NASDAQ: AKCA). In the past, Barbara served as a board member of Abionyx (Paris: ABNX) and Symic Bio, a private biotech company.

Barbara retired from Merck & Co., Inc. in 2014 after 12 years as Vice President and Chief Licensing Officer. At Merck, Barbara and her licensing team successfully structured and negotiated agreements to acquire rights to over 150 compounds, programs and technologies to enhance the pipeline. In addition, Barbara significantly increased Merck's visibility as a preferred partner. Barbara began her Merck career as a tax lawyer and then transitioned to finance, first as Director of Benefits Financing and subsequently as Senior Director of Financial Evaluations and Analysis where she evaluated the financial aspects of acquisitions, joint ventures, licenses and other transactions.

Barbara has a JD from Stanford Law School and an AB from Wellesley College where she studied Physics and Latin. She also holds a Masters of Law in Taxation from New York University

Mark Pykett

Mark Pykett is Chief Scientific Officer of PTC Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PTCT). Before joining PTC in 2018, Mark held a number of executive positions, including president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agilis Biotherapeutics, CEO of Navidea Biopharmaceuticals (NYSE MKT: NAVB), and president and CEO of Alseres Pharmaceuticals (ALSE.PQ), among others. Mark also served as a director of several public and private companies, as well as the not-for-profit organisation, HealthBuilders, which develops health infrastructure in central Africa.

Mark received his B.A. from Amherst College, a V.M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.

About Pharming Group N.V.

Pharming is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative products for the safe, effective treatment of rare diseases and unmet medical needs. Pharming’s lead product, RUCONEST® (conestat alfa) is a recombinant human C1 esterase inhibitor approved for the treatment of acute Hereditary Angioedema (“HAE”) attacks in patients in Europe, the US, Israel and South Korea. The product is available on a named-patient basis in other territories where it has not yet obtained marketing authorisation.

Additional information is available on the Pharming website: www.pharming.com

About Coulter Partners

Coulter Partners is a board and senior level executive search boutique focussed exclusively on global Life Sciences. From our offices in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, we work together across boundaries and disciplines to build outstanding leadership teams for our clients in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, health tech, diagnostics, CRO and services sectors. Our industry leading reputation is founded on deep sector knowledge and innovative thinking. Our strategy is built on a unique team culture and true global reach. Our goal is to bring you the world’s best talent.

 

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