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Frances K. Heller Rejoins Zafgen Board of Directors [Global Data Point]
[September 19, 2014]

Frances K. Heller Rejoins Zafgen Board of Directors [Global Data Point]


(Global Data Point Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Ms. Heller previously served as a Zafgen director from October 2011 to December 2013, and left the Board as she joined Bristol-Myers Squibb to lead its business development group. Zafgen's Board currently includes eight directors, seven of whom are independent.



Ms. Heller has led a number of strategic transactions and partnerships across a broad range of molecular modalities and in various therapeutic areas during her career. Most recently, she was senior vice president of business development at Bristol-Myers Squibb and a Trustee of the Bristol Myers Foundation. In addition, she currently serves as a Trustee of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

"We are delighted to have Ms. Heller rejoin our Board of Directors," said Dr. Thomas Hughes, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Zafgen. "Fran brings a wealth of business development experience, as well as a deep working knowledge of Zafgen's programs from her prior work on our Board. We look forward to working with her again, and to be able to leverage her strategic and tactical capabilities as we further advance our programs and build our company's capabilities." "Zafgen has made significant advancements in recent years, in both the development of beloranib and its growth from a virtual company to a publicly traded company," said Ms. Heller. "I am thrilled to rejoin Zafgen's Board at this exciting time and to lend my expertise to an already outstanding team as the Company continues to cultivate its business development strategy for beloranib and its earlier stage programs." Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ms. Heller was executive vice president of business development at Exelixis Pharmaceuticals and before Exelixis, Ms. Heller was head of strategic alliances at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for transactions with partners in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, as well as academic institutions worldwide. She is a member of the California State Bar and licensed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She holds a B.S. in biology from Tulane University, an M.A. in biology from American University and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.


(c) 2014 GlobalData Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

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