Robert Cawthorn said: "I am grateful for the opportunity I was given to assist in building a company that has already achieved so much for patients, shareholders and employees worldwide. My fellow Board members and I are delighted that Jean-Pierre Garnier, a highly experienced and very successful leader with an unparalleled career in the healthcare industry, will now guide Actelion into the next phase of the company's development. Since joining the Board, Jean-Pierre has been very active in talking to Actelion's key people and understanding the company's opportunities and challenges. We are now entering a new planning cycle and he will be able to oversee this process and its implementation as Chairman from the start."
Dr. Jean-Pierre Garnier said: "I am extremely proud to have been nominated as Chairman of the Board of Actelion. I'm very impressed with the company's track record and its position today as Europe's largest biopharmaceutical company. Since joining the company this spring, I have become even more convinced of Actelion's capacity to translate superior drug discovery into meaningful therapeutic solutions and long-term business success. I look forward to guiding the company in the next phase of its growth together with my fellow Board members, management and all the Actelion employees."
Jean-Paul Clozel, co-founder and CEO of Actelion, said: "I would like to thank Rob Cawthorn for his outstanding achievements for Actelion. As the Chairman of a unique and very professional Board, he helped a small start-up become Europe's largest biopharmaceutical company. I am very glad that Jean-Pierre Garnier, one of the world's most renowned pharma managers, has agreed to become his successor. He is the right person to lead Actelion into the next stage of the company's development.