S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a weekly rundown of recent executive changes at pharmaceutical, biotech and life sciences companies.
* Allergan plc Executive Vice President and COO Rob Stewart is leaving the company to become the president, CEO and board member of Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC on Jan. 25, 2018. Wayne Swanton has been appointed Allergan's executive vice president of global operations following Stewart's notification that he is leaving.
* Novartis AG said Novartis Oncology CEO Bruno Strigini will retire for personal reasons. He will step back from Novartis' executive committee by Dec. 31 and fully hand over in early 2018.
* Foundation Medicine Inc. named its CEO Troy Cox to the additional position of president. In addition, Steven Kafka plans to resign as president and COO, and the company has appointed its senior vice president of international markets Konstantin Fiedler as COO. Cox and Fiedler's appointments and Kafka's resignation are effective on Feb. 16, 2018.
* Peter Keller resigned as the chief business officer of Selecta Biosciences Inc., effective Dec. 18. Keller has agreed to provide consulting and advisory services to Selecta for one year following his resignation.
* Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc. appointed Troy Hamilton to the position of CEO, effective Dec. 19. Hamilton joined the company in July 2015 and previously served as the chief commercial officer and executive vice president.
* Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc. appointed Timothy Sullivan to serve as CFO. Sullivan was most recently an observer on Apellis' board while he was a partner at venture capital firm AJU IB Investment, where he led the firm's investments in life sciences companies.
* OrganiGram Holdings Inc. named Paolo De Luca as CFO. De Luca replaces interim CFO, Peter Hanson, who will become the company's director of finance.
* John Leonard will become Intellia Therapeutics Inc.'s president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2018. Leonard succeeds Nessan Bermingham, the company's founding president and CEO.
* Marc Becker will become Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s CFO on Jan. 4, 2018. Becker was previously the senior vice president and CFO of CRISPR Therapeutics AG.
* Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s board terminated Rajesh Shrotriya from his position as CEO without cause. Joseph Turgeon, president and COO, will become president and CEO instead. Spectrum named Thomas Riga, executive vice president, chief commercial officer and head of business development, to the position of COO.
* ContraFect Corp. said it will eliminate its COO position, held by Lisa Ricciardi, by Dec. 31. Ricciardi was appointed COO in October, brought in as a possible successor to CEO Steven Gilman. However, since Gilman intends to remain CEO, the company's board decided it did not need a COO position.
* David Apelian resigned as executive vice president and chief medical officer of Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc., effective Dec. 28. Apelian resigned to pursue another professional opportunity.
* Ryan Maynard resigned as Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s executive vice president and CFO, effective Dec. 31. Nelson Cabatuan, Rigel's vice president of finance will serve as the company's interim principal accounting officer.