EuropaBio appoints new chairman

EuropaBio has appointed Stephan Tanda, member of the managing board of DSM, as Chair of the Association. He succeeds Andrea Rappagliosi, who has completed his mandate, but will continue to represent GlaxoSmithKline plc as a member of the EuropaBio Board. Tanda, who previously acted as treasurer of EuropaBio, was confirmed as chair at EuropaBio’s  annual general assembly, held on June 23 in Brussels.

The general assembly also confirmed the appointment of Lars Christian Hansen of Novozymes, as chair of the Industrial Biotechnology Council; Thomas Bols, Merck Serono, was re-elected chair of the Healthcare Biotechnology Council; Serge Zybach of Syngenta remains as chair of the Agriculture Biotechnology Council, Jan Wisse, NIABA, was re-elected as Chair of the National Associations Council and Tom Saylor of Arecor Ltd, will remain as chair of the SME Platform.

The association also elected five new board members, bringing the number of representatives of companies and associations from across Europe to 23 on the EuropaBio board.

EuropaBio, now represents a total of 93 companies, national associations, biotech clusters and associate members.

Tanda said innovation is the key driver for sustainable growth for countries and companies, large and small. “Europe has made a commitment to innovation through the EU 2020 Innovation Strategy, and biotechnology is uniquely positioned to contribute significantly to both Europe's economic success and to the health and wellness of its citizens.”

Nathalie Moll, Secretary General of EuropaBio welcomed Tanda and the other new board members saying, “One of our biggest strengths as an association is to represent all the sectors through which this incredible technology makes a contribution to our daily lives.”