Industry leaders bring a diverse mix of experience to Elanco
GREENFIELD, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) today announced the
appointment of four new members to the Board of Directors. The new
members will serve on staggered terms, creating a nine-member Board. The
Board was initially established in September 2018 when Elanco became a
publicly traded company following its separation from Eli Lilly and
Company. The appointments follow Lilly’s full divestiture of Elanco,
making Elanco a fully independent company.
The Board will help oversee Elanco’s growth and productivity agenda,
along with helping guide Elanco’s expansion as a portfolio innovator.
Their strong chemistry and diversity will enable continued value
creation and transformation, while closely reflecting Elanco’s
customer-driven culture and involvement-based leadership. The new board
members bring a robust history of board experience and governance along
with a unique combination of experiences – from livestock production,
veterinary medicine and innovation to digital transformation, food
industry expertise and consumer insights.
“I’m humbled by the caliber of talent and interest we found during our
search process. The new board members bring together the best, diverse
thinking from a wide array of experts, which will be critical to
Elanco’s future,” said Jeff Simmons, president and chief executive
officer of Elanco. “I’m looking forward to their insights and expertise
as we execute our strategic plan, grow as a public company and progress
our productivity agenda to create shareholder value.”
The new members of the Elanco Board of Directors include:
Deborah Kochevar, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.A.C.V.C.P., is provost and
senior vice president ad interim at Tufts University. She is the former
dean and Henry and Lois Foster professor at Cummings School of
Veterinary Medicine at Tufts. Prior to Tufts, Dr. Kochevar was a member
of the faculty at Texas A&M University following the completion of a
National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Research Service Award
Fellowship. She also served as the president and chair of the board of
directors of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges.
Dr. Kochevar holds an undergraduate degree from Rice University, a
doctorate of veterinary medicine from Texas A&M University and a
doctorate from the University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of
Biomedical Sciences. She has also served on the board of Charles River
Laboratories, Inc. since 2008. Her deep animal health expertise and One
Health approach will add to Elanco’s focus on delivering best-in-class
innovation across the portfolio.
Denise Scots-Knight, Ph.D., currently serves as CEO and
co-founder of Mereo BioPharma, a specialty biopharmaceutical company
that acquires, develops and commercializes therapeutics for the
treatment of rare diseases. Dr. Scots-Knight has more than 25 years of
experience in the biopharmaceutical industry in both research and
development management and as a venture capitalist. Prior to co-founding
Mereo BioPharma, Scots-Knight ran Phase4 Partners, a venture capital
business that invested globally in biotechnology companies, having
previously led the management buy-out of the business from Nomura. She
began her career in R&D management at Amersham and Fisons, and as a
senior executive at Scientific Generics before joining Rothchild Asset
Management as an investment manager. Her extensive previous board
leadership, history leading an innovation and growth-oriented company,
and expertise building innovation models and partnerships will bring
value to Elanco.
John (J.P.) Bilbrey is the former chairman and CEO of The Hershey
Company from 2011 to 2017. Prior to holding the top spot with Hershey,
he held various roles of increasing importance, including chief
operating officer and senior vice president of Hershey International.
Before joining Hershey in 2003, he was president, CEO and executive vice
president of Retail Sales of Danone Water of North America, after
beginning his career with Procter & Gamble (P&G). In addition to his
role as Non-Executive Chairman of The Hershey Company, he also served on
the Board of Directors of McCormick & Company, Incorporated and
Colgate-Palmolive Company. Bilbrey is also the owner and operator of
Bilbrey Farms and Ranch, a commercial cattle operation in Kansas. His
unique combination of livestock production, food industry and consumer
insights experience will be a strong asset for Elanco.
Kirk McDonald serves as the chief marketing officer of Xandr,
AT&T’s Advertising company. Xandr was created in the fall of 2017 to
create a better advertising experience for consumers and brands. Xandr
is building an innovative advertising platform focused on transparency
and brand-safe placement in premium content. McDonald brings more than
25 years of experience with some of the world’s leading brands and
software technology providers to Elanco, including having served as
president of Digital at Time Inc. and chief advertising officer for the
Fortune|Money Group. His proficiency driving digital transformation,
marketing capability and know-how in using cutting-edge technology to
connect with today’s customers will bring a valuable perspective to
Elanco.
Following Lilly’s divestiture of Elanco, four Lilly members departed
Elanco’s Board of Directors. This included Carl L. McMillian, Ph.D.,
vice president of toxicology, drug disposition, PK/PD; David A. Ricks,
chairman, president and CEO; Aarti Shah, Ph.D., senior vice president
and chief information officer; and Joshua L. Smiley, chief financial
officer. Michael Harrington, senior vice president and general counsel
of Lilly, will remain on the Elanco board for his deep knowledge of the
Elanco business, as well as his legal and policy expertise.
R. David Hoover, retired CEO of Ball Corporation, remains as Chairman of
the Board of Directors. Other remaining board members include Jeffrey N.
Simmons, president and CEO of Elanco; Kapila Kapur Anand, retired KPMG
partner; and Lawrence Kurzius, chairman, president and chief executive
officer of McCormick & Company.
About Elanco
Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) is a global animal health company that develops
products and knowledge services to prevent and treat disease in food
animals and pets in more than 90 countries. With a 64-year heritage, we
rigorously innovate to improve the health of animals and benefit our
customers, while fostering an inclusive, cause-driven culture for
approximately 5,800 employees. At Elanco, we’re driven by our vision of
food and companionship enriching life - all to advance the health of
animals, people and the planet. Learn more at www.elanco.com.
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Investor Contact: Jim Greffet +1.317.383.9935 greffet_james_f@elanco.com
Media
Contact: Colleen Parr Dekker +1.317.989.7011 colleen_parr_dekker@elanco.com
Source: Elanco Animal Health Incorporated