MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading veterinary biologic drug developer Nexvet Biopharma (Nexvet) today announced a number of notable additions to its Board of Directors and management. These appointments expand the company’s global networks and deepen its animal health and corporate finance expertise to guide Nexvet through its next major phase of corporate and clinical milestones.
Chris Brown is recognised as one of Australia’s most experienced investment bankers, and joins the company as Non-Executive Chairman. He has extensive experience guiding companies through periods of rapid growth and change. He has extensive experience as lead advisor across a wide variety of industries and transactions across both capital raisings and M&A, and had leadership roles in the Investment Banking teams at Rothschild, Merrill Lynch and Investec. Notably, he was a key advisor on the IPOs of Australasian industry giants Air New Zealand, Commonwealth Bank, and Telstra, companies now collectively worth US$191 billion.
“Nexvet’s PETisation™ platform is a disruptive approach that has attracted significant investment interest from Australia, the US and Europe. I enjoy working with fast growing companies that have the potential to transform an industry. I look forward to working with the Nexvet leadership to position the company as a global leader in the emerging companion animal health sector,” said Brown.
Bringing unparalleled animal health senior leadership to the Nexvet Board, John Payne has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director. Mr Payne has more than 38 years’ experience in the animal healthcare industry across the world’s largest consumer petcare and veterinary service brands. Until recently, he was the President and CEO of Banfield Pet Hospital, the largest US private veterinary practice. Under John’s leadership Banfield grew to over 800 hospitals and 2600 veterinarians in the US and Mexico. Prior to Banfield, he was President and General Manager of Bayer Healthcare Animal Health (North America). In his time at Bayer, John was responsible for the North American launch of Advantage and Advantix®, companion animal products with worldwide sales of over $1 billion. His marketing and sales experience also extended to other multi-billion dollar consumer Petcare brands during his time as a member of the Mars Global Petcare team. John brings enormous strategic insight to Nexvet at a time when it has a number of commercial opportunities to consider.
Mr Payne’s work in animal health has also extended into the realm of charitable and not-for-profit organisations. He serves as current Chairman of the American Humane Association. Founded in 1877, it is the United States’ first humane organisation: engaging in a wide range of activities to protect animals and children from cruelty, abuse and neglect. It also conducts groundbreaking research, education, and training with a focus on better understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society.
“We are delighted to have a global animal health leader of John’s calibre joining our Board. John’s extraordinary experience, networks and understanding of the industry align with our mission for transforming companion animal medicine. John’s insights into the industry, particularly in the US, will inform our strategic direction as we consolidate a position as the leader in monoclonal antibody therapies for animals,” said Dr Heffernan, CEO.
Damian Lismore has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer. Damian is an experienced healthcare financial executive, with a particular expertise in acquisitions, restructures, commercialisation of technologies and managing productive relationships with the investment community. Damian was CFO for 8 years at Biota, a NASDAQ (formerly ASX) listed biotechnology company. Previous roles include senior financial oversight at Australian pharmaceutical wholesaler Sigma Pharmaceuticals, Price Waterhouse and Deloitte.
Nexvet also announced the appointment of investor directors to the Board, Graeme Wald and Cormac Kilty.
Dr Graeme Wald has almost 20 years of experience in the capital markets industry as a stock broking analyst and fund manager. He has been the top-rated pharmaceutical and healthcare analyst at Merrill Lynch (South Africa) and Wilson HTM, where he led the life sciences research effort and played a major role in a number of IPOS and secondary raisings, raising around $750M for various companies. He was a fund manager at Fedsure Asset Management, and is also the founder of life sciences valuation and strategy consulting firm, Gravitas Consulting and Investments. Dr Wald is an Investment Director of Bioscience Managers, an Australian investment team with over 30 years of international funds management experience.
Cormac Kilty is former head of Baxter Healthcare’s European Research and Development, the founding Chairman of successful European biotechnology company, Opsona Therapeutics, and a Founder and Chairman of the Irish BioIndustry Association. He is also currently a member of the Board of NOVA University College Dublin, and sits on the scientific advisory board of Ceetox Inc and the American Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He is currently CEO of Argutus Medical, a diagnostics company based in Ireland.
Dr Heffernan concluded, “The appointments announced today and over the past number of months further demonstrate our commitment to building an exceptional Board and senior management team with global presence and experience. We continue to attract the best talent spanning animal health, biopharmaceutical drug development and finance to advance our goal to be the leader in biopharma therapies for companion animals.”
