[October 31, 2016]

California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) Elects New Board Members

California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) today announced the addition of five new members to its board of directors. Senior executives from Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS, Leerink Partners and Sanofi Genzyme joined the board, adding to the diverse background and expertise of the directing body.

The five new members are Seng Cheng, Global Head of Research, Rare Diseases, Genzyme, a Sanofi Company; Bill Fairey, President, Actelion Pharmaceuticals US; Bryan Giraudo, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Leerink Partners LLC; Stephen Richardson (News - Alert), Chief Operating Officer and Regional Market Director, San Francisco, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.; and Melinda Richter, Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS. California Life Sciences Association (CLSA), the state's largest and most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization representing California's leading life sciences innovators.

"As California Life Sciences Association continues to grow and expand our efforts and involvement statewide, we turn to our trusted board of directors to help guide us in the right direction to further enhance California's innovative life sciences economy," said Sara Radcliffe, President & CEO, California Life Sciences Association (CLSA). "Each of our new members bring a unique set of skills and experiences to the table, and will help us enhance our public policy work and grow our offerings to bolster California's life sciences sector."

About Seng Cheng, Ph.D., Sanofi Genzyme

Seng Cheng is Global Head of Research of Rare Diseases at Sanofi Genzyme, where he is responsible for directing the translational research and early clinical development activities in rare genetic diseases. Cheng obtained his BSc and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry from the University of London, and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Medical Research in London. Prior to joining Sanofi, he was Group Vice President of Genetic Diseases Science at Genzyme, responsible for developing therapeutic solutions for the group of inherited metabolic diseases known as lysosomal storage disorders. He has co-authored 262 research articles and reviews, and is named co-inventor on 91 issued patents in the area of biotechnology.

About Bill Fairey, Actelion Pharmaceuticals US

Bill Fairey is President of Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc., a subsidiary of Actelion Pharmaceuticals, leading the company's sales, marketing, medical and regulatory activities in the U.S. Since taking on the role in 2013, Bill has gaied FDA approval and launched three significant products: OPSUMIT and UPTRAVI for PAH, and VALCHLOR for MF-CTCL. The U.S. organization has 400 employees and generated greater than $1 billion in net sales in 2015. He received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Oregon, and his M.B.A. from Saint Mary's College.

About Bryan Giraudo, Leerink Partners

Bryan Giraudo is a Managing Director at Leerink Partners, based in San Francisco, where he is responsible for the Firm's Western North America biotechnology and medical technology relationships. With nearly 20 years of experience, Bryan has executed more than 100 initial public offerings, follow-on and convertible financing transactions, as well as product and company buy-side, sell-side and corporate collaboration strategic advisory assignments for biotechnology, specialty pharmaceutical and medical technology clients. Bryan received his B.A. from Georgetown University.

About Stephen Richardson, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (ARE)

Stephen A. Richardson has served as Chief Operating Officer and Regional Market Director, San Francisco, since October 2011. Richardson previously served as the Company's Executive Vice President/Regional Market Director of the San Francisco Bay Area from January 2011 to October 2011, and Senior Vice President/Regional Market Director, San Francisco Bay Area from July 2005 to January 2011, where he was responsible for the management of the Company's San Francisco region asset base and operations. Prior to joining the Company, Richardson served as a Director of CellNet Data Systems from 1993 to 2000. Richardson received his Master of Business Administration degree from Santa Clara University and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Literature from Claremont McKenna College.

About Melinda Richter, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS

As Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS, Melinda fosters the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies external R&D engine and supports the innovation community by creating capital-efficient commercialization models that give early stage companies a big company advantage. By providing infrastructure, services, educational programs and networks in global hotspots, JLABS is the best place to start a biotech company. Prior to joining JLABS, Richter was Founder and CEO of Prescience International, an award-winning firm dedicated to accelerating research to the patient. Richter founded Prescience after she had a medical emergency that left her questioning the efficiency and efficacy of the healthcare system. With the tenacity and resolve of a patient looking for a better solution, she set out to create a better model, which now forms the basis for JLABS' operational infrastructure. Prior to starting Prescience, Richter held posts across a variety of functional areas with Nortel (News - Alert) Networks. Richter holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, and a MBA from INSEAD in France.

Headshots are available upon request. For more information about CLSA, please visit: https://califesciences.org

About California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)

California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is the state's largest and most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization. With offices in Sacramento, San Diego, South San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC, CLSA works closely with industry, government, academia and others to shape public policy, improve access to innovative technologies and grow California's life sciences economy. CLSA serves biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics companies, research universities and institutes, investors and service providers throughout the Golden State. CLSA was founded in 2015 when the Bay Area Bioscience Association (BayBio) and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) merged. Visit CLSA at www.califesciences.org, and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @CALifeSciences, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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