Anna Protopapas To Join Bioverativ Board Of Directors

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bioverativ Inc. (NASDAQ: BIVV), a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for hemophilia and other rare blood disorders, today announced that Anna Protopapas has been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Ms. Protopapas has more than 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including her current role as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, Ms. Protopapas was a member of the Executive Committee of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and held various senior management positions at the company, including President of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda focused on oncology. This appointment brings Bioverativ’s total number of directors to five, four of whom are independent.

“Anna brings a proven track record of leading and growing biopharmaceutical companies, which will be extremely valuable as we work to deliver on our vision of building Bioverativ into a great rare disease company focused on blood disorders,” said John Cox, Chief Executive Officer at Bioverativ. “We are excited to have Anna join Bioverativ’s board.”

“We are thrilled to add Anna’s rich perspective and knowledge of the industry gained from years of executive leadership, which we believe will benefit Bioverativ as we move forward,” said Brian Posner, Chairman of the Board of Bioverativ. “We welcome Anna and look forward to working with her to maximize value for shareholders.”

“I am delighted to join Bioverativ’s board to help guide the continued success of the company’s hemophilia franchise and advancement of its novel pipeline programs,” said Ms. Protopapas. “With its heritage of innovation, recent launch as an independent company, and singular focus on rare blood disorders, I believe that Bioverativ is poised to make great progress for patients.”

Ms. Protopapas joins the Bioverativ board of directors with a strong background in biopharmaceutical industry leadership and business development. While at Takeda, Ms. Protopapas led the oncology business and played an integral role in leading Millennium’s integration into Takeda. Prior to serving as president, she was Executive Vice President of Global Business Development, overseeing all of Takeda’s acquisitions, licensing, partnering and venture investing for a period of four years. Prior to Takeda, Ms. Protopapas held multiple leadership roles at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, including most recently Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development and membership on the Executive Committee where she led the company’s business development initiatives. Ms. Protopapas previously served on the board of directors of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a life sciences company, until its acquisition by Takeda in February 2017.

Ms. Protopapas joins as the fifth member of the board of directors for Bioverativ. In addition to John Cox, the current members of the board include:

• Brian Posner (Chairman), the President of Point Rider Group LLC, a consulting and advisory services firm within the financial services industry and a private investor since 2008. Mr. Posner currently serves on the boards of directors of Biogen Inc. and Arch Capital Group Ltd. and is a trustee of the AQR Funds. Mr. Posner brings substantial experience as a leading institutional investment manager and advisor, and significant management and financial expertise to his leadership of the Bioverativ board.
• Alexander Denner, Ph.D. (director), the founding partner and Chief Investment Officer of Sarissa Capital Management LP, a registered investment advisor, which he founded in 2012. Sarissa Capital focuses on improving the strategies of companies to enhance shareholder value. Dr. Denner also serves as a director of Biogen Inc. and The Medicines Company. Dr. Denner has a strong background overseeing the operations, capital allocation and research and development of healthcare companies and evaluating corporate governance matters. He also has extensive experience as an investor, particularly with respect to healthcare companies, and has broad healthcare-industry knowledge.
• Louis Paglia (director), the founding member of Oakstone Capital LLC, a private investment firm, and founder of Customer Choice LLC, a data analytics company serving the electric utility industry. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Arch Capital Group Ltd. Mr. Paglia has a strong financial background, with experience in investment banking and extensive executive management and operating experience in publicly-held companies.

About Bioverativ
Bioverativ is a global biotechnology company dedicated to transforming the lives of people with hemophilia and other rare blood disorders through world-class research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies. Launched in 2017 following separation from Biogen Inc., Bioverativ builds upon a strong heritage of scientific innovation and is committed to actively working with the blood disorders community. The company’s mission is to create progress for patients where they need it most and its hemophilia therapies when launched represented the first major advancements in hemophilia treatment in more than two decades. For more information, visit www.bioverativ.com or follow @bioverativ on Twitter.