Astellas Announces Changes of President & CEO
Astellas Pharma Inc. has announced that Executive Vice President Masafumi Nogimori will be promoted to President and CEO of Astellas. Dr. Toichi Takenaka, now President and CEO, will become Co-Chairman. Dr. Hatsuo Aoki, now Chairman, will also be Co-Chairman. These changes will take effect on the day of the ordinary general meeting of shareholders of the Company, which is planned on June 27, 2006, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors meeting to be held on the same day.
Dr. Takenaka, now sixty four years old, became President and CEO of then Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in April 2000. He had enforced the restructuring of business operations in order to concentrate the management resources on the ethical pharmaceuticals business in the amidst of fierce global competition. Since its inception of April 2005, Astellas, under the direction of Dr. Takenaka, has taken a further step toward the concentration on the ethical pharmaceutical business and has also reinforced the business infrastructure of the Company through enrichment of its development pipeline and expansion of the US business. Dr. Takenaka has decided to designate Mr. Nogimori as his successor because he thinks Mr. Nogimori is the right person to strongly implement growth strategies of Astellas as a global pharmaceutical company.
Mr. Nogimori, fifty eight years old, is now Executive Vice President of the Company. Mr. Nogimori had been working for then Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for thirty six years since he joined Fujisawa in 1970. He experienced various careers in Fujisawa from licensing, business development, head of its European operations to Global Corporate Strategy. He became Executive Vice President of Astellas at the formation of the Company.
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