UCB today announced the appointment of Ismail Kola, Executive Vice President, UCB & President of UCB New Medicines, UCB’s discovery research through to “proof of concept” organisation.
Ismail Kola will join UCB’s Executive Committee with effect from November 23, 2009.
Roch Doliveux, Chief Executive Officer of UCB said: “We are pleased to announce Ismail’s appointment to lead our internal and external discovery of new medicines to treat patients with severe diseases. UCB is gaining a highly accomplished scientist with a track record of success in academia and the biopharma field. I am confident that Ismail will make major leaps to the development of UCB NewMedicines. His strong research and development background in combination with solid commercial understanding will move UCB NewMedicines beyond its current achievements to deliver UCB’s breaktrough phase.”
For more then 20 years, Ismail Kola has created a bridge between the scientific and academic worlds trough various projects funded by renowned institutes such as the NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council) Australia, the National Institutes of Health, USA and Monash University in Australia. He has authored 159 technical publications in scientific and medical journals of the highest caliber, and is a named inventor on 12 patents. Under his leadership numerous drugs have come to the market and many are now in late-stage development.
Since March 2007, Dr Kola has occupied the role of Senior Vice-President, Discovery Research and Early Clinical Research & Experimental Medicine, and Chief Scientific Officer at Schering-Plough. He came to Schering Plough from Merck where in January 2003 he was appointed Senior Vice President/Site Head, Basic Research. Prior to that, Ismail was Vice President, Research, and Global Head, Genomics Science and Biotechnology with Pharmacia Corporation, and served as a consultant to SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals where he was also a member of the Genomics Advisory Board.
As of 23 November 2009, UCB’s Executive Committee, chaired by Roch Doliveux, CEO, will have the following members, all of whom are Executive Vice Presidents: Michele Antonelli, Fabrice Enderlin, Ismail Kola, Iris Loew-Friedrich, Mark McDade, Detlef Thielgen and Bob Trainor.
