Acceleron prez & CEO Knopf steps down
Acceleron Pharma (NSDQ:XLRN) said last month that its founder John Knopf will step down as president & CEO, and Habib Dable will assume the corner office in December 2016.
Dable, who served in several capacities including as president of pharmaceuticals at Bayer (ETR:BAYN), is a member of the board of directors and health section governing board of Biotechnology Innovation Organization. At Bayer, he managed the company’s portfolio which included hematology, neurology, oncology, women’s health and cardiovascular disease.
“With 2 phase 3 trials underway and a strong proprietary pipeline, Acceleron is on the cusp of a key inflection point, and is adding critical commercial competencies to its core strength of research and development,” chairman Dr. Francois Nader said in a prepared statement. “Habib is the right person to take Acceleron forward into this next stage of growth as a company, and build on the visionary and entrepreneurial work of John Knopf. Habib brings a diverse skill set and strong track record within the biopharmaceutical industry. He is a strategic thinker with excellent leadership and communications skills that will help Acceleron deliver on our vision of becoming a leading biopharmaceutical company.”
“I am honored to be given the opportunity to join an established team at Acceleron – a company that has proven itself as a highly successful research and development organization,” Dable said. “I am excited to work with the Acceleron team and with our partner Celgene (NSDQ:CELG) as we collaborate to fully recognize the value of our innovative portfolio.”
“As a founder and leader at Acceleron, John has been the key driving force behind the company and its vision. The board and entire Acceleron team thank John for his critical contribution to the success of Acceleron over the last 13 years,” Dr. Nader said.
“It has been very rewarding to grow Acceleron from just a vision for a company to where we are today with multiple therapeutics in the clinic,” Dr. Knopf said. “Our progress and growth have been extraordinary. I am very proud of our team and excited about the future of Acceleron.”