Gosselies, Belgium, 3 July 2017, 7am CEST – BONE THERAPEUTICS (Euronext Brussels and Paris: BOTHE), the bone cell therapy company addressing high unmet medical needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases, today announces that Steve Swinson has been elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He will replace Michel Helbig, who has stood down as Chairman but will continue as a Non-Executive Director.
Bone Therapeutics has also continued to strengthen its Board with the appointment of Dirk Dembski as a Non-Executive Director. The appointment of Dirk, a seasoned executive with expertise in orthopaedics and biotechnology and experience in sales, marketing, business development and medical education for global life sciences companies, complements the recent appointments of Steve Swinson and Damian Marron, who both joined the Bone Therapeutics Board in May. These appointments significantly increase the breadth of specialist orthopaedic and regenerative therapy expertise at the Company and will help support the new management team, led by Chief Executive Thomas Lienard.
Steve Swinson has served in a number of senior roles in orthopaedic medical technology and electronics, including general management, senior strategy, sales, marketing and commercial operation positions at Medtronic. At Medtronic, he led the Spine and Biologics division for Canada and Western Europe, and was Vice President and General Manager for the international spine division. with substantial revenue responsibility. In a 30-year international business career covering Asia, US, Europe and Africa, he has also held senior positions in the diagnostic and medical divisions of General Electric and Hewlett Packard. Steve has a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester and a MBA from the University of Chicago. Steve Swinson is currently chairman of the board of Vexim, a medical device company specializing in minimally invasive treatment of vertebral fractures and is also on the board of directors of Acteon Group, a leader in dental equipment and imaging products.
Dirk Dembski has held a variety of roles in biotechnology, orthopaedics and medical companies and has built and driven global sales and marketing operations and served in business development positions. He is currently serving as Managing Director of bricon Group, the German business unit of Naton Medical Group, one of China’s largest Medtech companies, where he completed several acquisitions and drives the international business. He also worked as Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development at Olympus Biotech for EMEA, Asia Pacific and Latin America, where he successfully marketed a portfolio of bone growth factors, cell technologies and innovative biomaterials. Dirk has also worked as director of sales and marketing for Small Bone Innovations, a bone medical technology company which was acquired by Stryker.
Marc Nolet de Brauwere van Steeland, stepped down as a Non-Executive Director on 30 June having served on the Bone Therapeutics Board since 2015.
Thomas Lienard, Chief Executive of Bone Therapeutics, said: “With the election of Steve Swinson as Chairman, and the appointments of Dirk Dembski and Damian Marron, we have a world-leading Board to support Bone Therapeutics as we approach critical inflection points for our allogeneic cell therapy platform. Our new Board members bring a unique and highly complementary set of skills and expertise in the development and commercialisation of orthopaedic and cell therapy products. I would like to welcome Steve and our other new Board members and also to thank Michel Helbig for his four years of service to Bone Therapeutics. Michel has provided calm and judicious guidance to the company through key strategic developments, including helping to steer the Company through its 2015 Initial Public Offering. Michel was instrumental in building the strong management team that will prove critical as the Company advances its allogeneic cell therapy platform towards commercialization, as well as in the development of the board since IPO. He has also played a key role more recently in recruiting top-level board members with strong international experience in the field in which Bone Therapeutics operates. We are delighted that he will remain on the Board to provide continued support.“
Steve Swinson, Chairman of Bone Therapeutics, commented: “I feel excited and privileged to be taking the role of Chairman at Bone Therapeutics. This is the most advanced Company in regenerative therapies for bone diseases which I believe has the potential to transform medical practice in this field. I hope to be able to apply my deep experience in medical technology to support Thomas Lienard and his team, alongside my colleagues on the Board, as we move this key product platform towards commercialization.“
Dirk Dembski added: “I feel my previous experience and expertise wil be invaluable to Bone Therapeutics as it develops into a commercially ready company. I look forward to working with Steve and the rest of the Board to help steer the company as it brings its exciting technologies to market.“
About Bone Therapeutics
Bone Therapeutics is a leading cell therapy company addressing high unmet needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases. Based in Gosselies, Belgium, the Company has a broad, diversified portfolio of bone cell therapy products in clinical development across a number of disease areas targeting markets with large unmet medical needs and limited innovation.
Our technology is based on a unique, proprietary approach to bone regeneration which turns undifferentiated stem cells into “osteoblastic”, or bone-forming cells. These cells can be administered via a minimally invasive procedure, avoiding the need for invasive surgery.
Our primary clinical focus is ALLOB®, an allogeneic “off-the-shelf” cell therapy product derived from stem cells of healthy donors, which is in Phase II studies for the treatment of delayed-union fractures and spinal fusion. The Company also has an autologous bone cell therapy product, PREOB®, obtained from patient`s own bone marrow and currently in Phase III development for osteonecrosis and non-union fractures.
Bone Therapeutics` cell therapy products are manufactured to the highest GMP standards and are protected by a rich IP estate covering nine patent families. Further information is available at: www.bonetherapeutics.com.
Contacts
Bone Therapeutics SA
Thomas Lienard, Chief Executive Officer
Wim Goemaere, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +32 (0)2 529 59 90
investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com
For Belgium and International Media Enquiries:
Consilium Strategic Communications
Amber Fennell, Jessica Hodgson and Hendrik Thys
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5701
bonetherapeutics@consilium-comms.com
For French Media and Investor Enquiries:
NewCap Investor Relations & Financial Communications
Pierre Laurent, Louis-Victor Delouvrier and Nicolas Merigeau
Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 71 94 94
bone@newcap.eu
Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company or, as appropriate, the Company directors` current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person`s officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.
