OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM
Ten senior executives lead our company and serve as exemplars of our culture and values. Each oversees a key functional area of the company in addition to their role as a member of the management team.
Deborah Dunsire, M.D.,
President & CEO
Lisa Adler,
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Christophe Bianchi, M.D.,
Executive Vice President
Joseph B. Bolen, Ph.D.,
Chief Scientific Officer
Daniel Curran, M.D.,
Vice President, Business and Corporate Development
Karen Ferrante, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Stephen M. Gansler,
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Laurie Bartlett Keating,
Senior Vice President, General Counsel
Kyle Kuvalanka,
Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development
Todd Shegog,
Senior Vice President, Finance and Treasury
Peter F. Smith, Ph.D.,
Senior Vice President, Non-Clinical Development Sciences
DEBORAH DUNSIRE, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Chief Responsibility:
Driving Millennium's growth and overall performance in discovering, developing, and commercializing new treatments for cancer while developing its iconic talent and culture as the company progresses.
Experience:
Dr. Dunsire draws on more than 20 years of experience in the scientific, clinical, operational, and commercial aspects of the biological/pharmaceutical business. She joined Millennium from Novartis, where she helped increase the North American oncology revenues to over $2.1 billion from approximately $50 million in 10 years.
Awards:
Boards:
- Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
- Allergan, Inc.
- Museum of Science (Boston)
- CancerCare (New York)
- G&P Foundation for Cancer Research
Education:
- Doctor of Medicine from the University of Witwatersand, Johannesburg, South Africa
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"We are what we repeatedly do...Excellence, then, is not so much an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
I tackle the daring job of keeping Millennium on course in our exciting new trajectory toward global oncology leadership. I try to help keep our company's uniquely talented, powerful people energized so they can bring about the dynamic progress we need to fully realize the opportunities before us. The drive of all of our employees makes leadership in the oncology community within our grasp, as we fight to defeat cancer. The reward we seek is to see in our lifetimes the scourge of cancer – that touches so many lives today – recede visibly from those we serve. As the Takeda Oncology Company, we bring new programs from four research sites through development to reach cancer patients around the world through all our Takeda partners.
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
It's the excitement of combining novel science and medicine to transform cancer from a dreaded killer to a treatable illness while working with people brimming with passion and smarts. Work is a gift I enjoy every day.
The Other Side of Me:
Outside of work, a personal passion of mine is spending time with my husband and sons exploring new parts of the US and the world.
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LISA ADLER
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Chief Responsibility:
Oversee internal and external communications to achieve and maintain best-in-class performance that is a competitive advantage for Millennium. Areas of responsibility include media relations, employee communications, branding & reputation management, visual arts, issue & crisis management, patient advocacy, corporate philanthropy & social responsibility, and community relations.
Experience:
Ms. Adler joined Millennium in 2004 with more than 20 years experience in healthcare communications. Prior to joining Millennium, she was an executive vice president and managing director at Feinstein Kean Healthcare (Ogilvy Public Relations subsidiary), where she was charged with building, expanding and overseeing the pharmaceutical communications practice. Her clients included Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Merck Vaccines. Much of Ms. Adler's experience has been in the areas of new product launches, national, multi-year direct-to-patient initiatives, third-party coalition building, and managing corporate/product crisis and issues. Previously, she was associate director for the Johnson & Johnson US Pharmaceuticals Group. Earlier in her career, Ms. Adler worked for Porter/Novelli Public Relations and Manning, Selvage, & Lee.
Education:
- Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"To be persuasive, we must be believable
To be believable, we must be credible
To be credible, we must be truthful." - Edward R. Murrow
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
I lead a team of highly talented communications professionals who work hard to develop and deliver innovative, exciting communications inside and outside our company. We strive to provide every employee a 360-degree line of sight around our company so they can share in all our successes and better relate with our overall business plan and operations. Outside of the company, as part of the Takeda acquisition, we oversee corporate repositioning, branding and corporate advertising.
Working at Millennium is an incredible opportunity to be a part of a very entrepreneurial Management Team in a fast-paced environment that demands quick, strategic thinking. It is invigorating and demands my best. I admire the competence and skill of my peers and the extraordinary depth of talent within our company. The supportive team spirit thrives on over-achieving and brings out the best in people. Plus, there's never a dull moment!
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
The fast-paced nature of communications coupled with my desire to continuously learn more about medical science made this an ideal career for me.
The Other Side of Me:
Outside of work, the most important thing to me is spending time with my husband and three teenage children. We love to travel and experience different cultures. But life at home is what I like best - nothing makes me happier than having a home filled with family and friends (although it can get exhausting). And I'm passionate about staying active and fit.
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CHRISTOPHE BIANCHI, M.D.
Executive Vice President
Chief Responsibility:
Dr. Bianchi's organization (marketing, sales, medical affairs, new products, government affairs, pharmaceutical, and commercial operations) is responsible for advancing the global competitive standing of all Millennium brands. The objective is to maximize the impact of our marketed brands in delivering benefits for the patients, healthcare providers, payers, and shareholders.
Experience:
Dr. Bianchi joined Millennium in February 2006 with 17 years of experience in the US pharmaceutical industry. He has built commercial and sales organizations, launched major brands, delivered sustained growth, and managed collaboration with partner companies. Dr. Bianchi came from sanofi-aventis where he led the $2 billion US oncology business unit with the well-known brands Eloxatin® and Taxotere. Previously at sanofi-synthelabo, Dr. Bianchi headed the internal medicine and central nervous system business unit with sales of $1.2 billion. Dr. Bianchi also had a very successful 10-year career at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, where he last served as vice president - head of global marketing and led many of the commercial efforts for the market-leading antithrombotic, Lovenox®.
Boards:
Education:
- Doctor of Medicine from the University of Reims-Champagne in France
- MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Albert Einstein
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
People, people, people: they make things happen and make the difference. Plus there is VELCADE: it makes the difference for the patients and their families.
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
First, I could not join the US PGA tour. Second, pharmaceuticals have always been fascinating to me. They cost more than several jumbo jets to develop; yet, they ultimately are consumer goods. The development of pharmaceuticals is the single most important contributor to the improvement of human health that we have seen in the past century and I am proud to be a very small part of it.
The Other Side of Me:
Outside of work what am I passionate about? In no particular order: Coltrane, Miles, modern architecture, Sunday morning on Park Avenue, cold Champagne...and I keep working on my golf game hoping that, some day, I might finally qualify, if not for the PGA tour, at least for my club's championship.
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JOSEPH B. BOLEN, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Chief Responsibility:
Strategic planning and oversight of research and drug discovery programs that deliver novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer.
Experience:
Dr. Bolen has extensive research and management experience. Prior to joining Millennium, he was Vice President and Global Head of Oncologic Diseases at Hoechst Marion Roussel, Director of the Cellular Signaling Department at the DNAX Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Executive Director of Oncology Drug Discovery at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Professor and Member of the Graduate Faculty at Princeton University, a graduate advisor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Section Chief of the Biochemical Oncology Department and founding member of the Laboratory of Tumor Virus Biology at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Bolen has published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles, reviews and book chapters and has served on numerous international journal editorial boards. He has served on study sections, panels and committees for the National Institutes of Health, the American Association for Cancer Research, the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Awards:
- National Institutes of Health Award for Meritorious Research in 1990
Boards:
- Scientific Advisory Board
- Hollings Cancer Center
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology (previously)
- Medicine (previously)
- Rutgers University (previously)
Education:
- Post-doctoral training in Molecular Virology, Kansas State University Cancer Center
- Doctor of Philosophy in Immunology and Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Chemistry from the University of Nebraska
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"The mark of an educated individual is to demand no more precision from a subject than the subject itself allows." - Aristotle
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
I direct all of the Research and Drug Discovery functions. I joined the company in 1999 as Vice President of Oncology. Our research teams are driving breakthrough science by capturing their human and scientific passion for developing new medicines for people with life threatening and debilitating diseases.
Millennium research and drug discovery scientists — like thousands of other oncology pharmaceutical researchers around the globe, do what we do for reasons far more noble than the generation of corporate profit. We are collectively the innovative and creative 'drug hunters and craftsmen' of the industry and – fully understanding the enormous challenge of our mission – represent perhaps the largest congregation of optimists in the galaxy.
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
I did not choose cancer research as my life's work, it chose me. While my Ph.D. work was in the field of Cellular Immunology, I chose Animal Virology as a field for post-doctoral training. My intent was simply to understand more about how animal viruses could be used to gain knowledge about more complex biological systems much in the way bacterial viruses were used to gain insight into the biology of bacteria. This happened during the mid 1970's when animal tumor virus research was beginning shed some light on the genetic basis of cancer. The virus that I worked on as a post doctoral fellow turned out to be one of those viruses that could cause cancer in rodents although how this occurred was unknown. Following my post-doctoral training I joined the National Institutes of Health where I focused on trying to understand the molecular mechanism through which this virus caused cancer in animals. I was fortunate to be one of the scientists who helped solve this mystery in the mid 1980's by demonstrating that a single virus encoded protein bound to and activated host cell signal transduction enzymes leading to cancer. As it turned out, many of these same enzymes are now known to play similar roles in the genesis of human cancer. Thus, my fascination and simple curiosity about how viruses could induce cancer in animals set the path that I have followed for almost 30 years.
The Other Side of Me:
Outside of work, a personal passion of mine is music. I made a living during the late 1960's and early 1970's as a musician (drums & guitar) in a band (mostly Rock & Roll and Blues) touring throughout the Midwest. I still play my guitar on occasion.
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DANIEL CURRAN, M.D.
Vice President, Business and Corporate Development
Chief Responsibility:
Leading the strategic planning process and driving strategic transactions that accelerate Millennium's path to becoming a top oncology company.
Experience:
Dr. Curran has 14 years of pharmaceutical experience in business development, project leadership and development roles. He joined Millennium in 1999 as a Director of Business Development. From 1999 to 2003, he played a key role in Millennium's business development activities and was a driving force for strategic business transactions in the inflammation and cardiovascular disease franchises. In 2003, he moved to Millennium's research and development organization and assumed leadership for two inflammation development programs. He rejoined the corporate development group in 2006 as vice president and is responsible for strategic business transactions for Millennium. He has served as the primary negotiator of numerous transactions with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies during his 11-year tenure at Millennium. Prior to Millennium, Dan's previous professional experiences include a business development role in the Product Planning and Acquisition group at DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals.
Education:
- Masters in Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA
- Doctor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Philadelphia, PA (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society)
- Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA (Summa Cum Laude)
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"For how can one know color in perpetual green, and what good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness?" - John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
I'm responsible for overseeing the business development group in developing and executing on corporate strategy initiatives, including licensing arrangements, acquisitions and a range of other transactions (for example IP licensing and translational medicine initiatives) with other companies.
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
I have a passion for science, innovation and working with individuals who are committed to making a difference in patient's lives. It is extraordinarily rewarding to work with passionate individuals in cross-functional teams to develop groundbreaking therapies that will benefit human health.
The Other Side of Me:
I enjoy spending time with my wife and (soon to be) three children. Recreation for me is casting a fly to a rising trout and sailing.
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Karen Ferrante, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
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STEPHEN M. GANSLER
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Chief Responsibility:
Providing human resources, information technology facilities, and safety services to the employees of Millennium
Experience:
Mr. Gansler has more than 25 years of experience in senior Human Resources leadership roles. He joined Millennium from Synta Pharmaceuticals where he was Senior Vice President of Human Resources for this privately held biopharmaceutical start-up. Previously, he headed Human Resources for Covanta Energy Corp and four business units within the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. He began his career at General Motors Corp.
Education:
- Doctor of Jurisprudence degree and Masters in Business Administration from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ.
- Bachelor of Industrial Administration from Kettering University in Flint, Mich.
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." - Sir Winston Churchill
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
I oversee all human resource functions and help ensure that employees have a voice and are supported in their efforts to make a visible contribution to the success of our company. This requires an environment that affords employees career development and growth. We celebrate individual and team success through recognition and rewards. Our culture is supportive and caring, yet demands excellence, innovation, and integrity. We enjoy an entrepreneurial spirit and lack of bureaucracy. Quite simply, it's our people and our culture that make all the difference, and it's my job to make sure these critical assets are properly developed and that we continue to attract and retain people who are capable of sustainably growing our success.
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
The chance to drive business results through an understanding of forces that engage employees in the business and encourage achievement.
The Other Side of Me:
Outside of work, a personal passion of mine is spending time with my family, and in particular having fun scuba diving, snorkeling, and boating.
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LAURIE BARTLETT KEATING
Senior Vice President, General Counsel
Chief Responsibility:
Ms. Keating is responsible for setting the Company's legal, intellectual property, and corporate quality strategies and priorities. She has the privilege of leading the very talented professionals in those organizations who tirelessly and proactively support the Company's global leadership goals, its commercial initiatives, and its endeavors to bring important new medicines to patients.
Experience:
Ms. Keating was the co-founder and first CEO of Hydra Biosciences, Inc., a venture-backed biotech company focused on developing drugs targeting novel ion channels. After joining Millennium in 2004, Ms. Keating remained a member of the Board of Directors of Hydra through 2007. Prior to Hydra, Ms. Keating served as an executive at high growth technology companies, including serving as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Iomega Corporation, a data storage company, and Sybase, Inc., a software company that grew from a few hundred to 6,000 employees during Ms. Keating's tenure on the management team. Based on her leadership at Sybase, Ms. Keating was named as one of the 45 most influential in-house lawyers in the United States under the age of 45. Upon graduating from law school, Ms. Keating practiced law at McCutchen, Doyle, Brown, and Enersen (now Bigham McCutchen) in San Francisco.
Education:
- Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, graduating Order of the Coif and winning election to the Thurston Honor Society
- Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley
Boards/Committees:
- Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
- The Boston Public Library Foundation
- The Executive Committee of BIO's General Counsel Committee
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, do it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." - Goethe
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
I work closely with my colleagues across the Company in executing ambitious, compliant plans that capture opportunities to bring the Company's medicines to patients more quickly and keep Millennium on track to become one of the top oncology companies in the world. Our Company has an exceptional patent estate protecting the inventions of our outstanding scientists; it also has a quality and compliance record all employees can be very proud of. I take particular interest in our Company's corporate and clinical development activities, doing all that we can to make our Company a partner and sponsor of choice. People see me and I see myself as a problem solver determined to get things done.
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
I decided to become a lawyer after reading Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis and John Hersey's The Algiers Motel Incident. My entrepreneurial drive and love of building businesses took me from the law firm setting into growth companies. After co-founding Hydra Biosciences, I knew that for me the challenge and excitement of science-based companies developing new medicines for patients in dire need of new therapies were compelling. Building Millennium into a leading oncology company fires me up.
The Other Side of Me:
When not working, what floats my boat is the time my husband and I have with our two teenage sons, whether we're hiking, skiing, sailing, playing tennis, exploring new places and cultures, or just taking in a movie, walking on a beach, or cheering at soccer and basketball games! For more than 30 years I've collected children's literature, and I'm constantly searching for exciting new authors...and more bookshelf space.
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Kyle Kuvalanka
Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development
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TODD SHEGOG
Senior Vice President, Finance and Treasurer
Chief Responsibility:
Responsible for the effective management of the Company's financial resources, corporate planning, financial reporting, and compliance.
Experience:
Joining Millennium in 1998, Mr. Shegog draws on 15 years of finance experience in the biotechnology industry. Previously, he spent several years at Genetics Institute (now Wyeth) in a variety of financial positions supporting the Research and Development organizations as well a member of the Commercial Operations team supporting the launch of BeneFIX®.
Education:
- Masters in Business Administration from the Tepper School of Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.
- Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Lafayette College, Easton, PA.
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business." - Henry Ford
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
I oversee the Finance and Strategic Sourcing functions responsible for leading corporate business planning, financial management, financial accounting, compliance, and corporate reporting, as well as financial analytics for decision support. That's a lot of "support," but I have a great team who helps me make it happen. I co-chair our Company's Investment Review Committee and participate on the Management Team, Pipeline Review Committee, and VELCADE Joint Steering Committee.
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
Early experiences in the biotechnology industry opened my eyes to the amazing work, passion, and intelligence that drives this industry to deliver hope to patients. I've been hooked ever since then.
The Other Side of Me:
Outside of work, a personal passion of mine is enjoying time with my wife Barbara and our two children. Together we are very active exploring the great outdoors and family time through sports.
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PETER F. SMITH, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Non-Clinical Development Sciences
Chief Responsibility:
Oversee all non-clinical discovery/development efforts in the areas of Drug Safety and Disposition as well as Pharmaceutical Sciences. This group is also responsible for investigational supplies for both non-clinical and clinical studies, interfacing with Discovery and Clinical Development supporting lead compound selection, and initiation of and support for clinical trials.
Experience:
Dr. Smith has more than 20 years experience in the US pharmaceutical industry over which time he has been involved with the development of a number of now marketed drugs. He joined Millennium in 2001 as senior vice president, Drug Safety & Disposition and Comparative Medicine. For the past three years he has also been responsible for the Pharmaceutical Sciences organization. He was recruited from Pharmacia where he was a Global Vice President (Metabolism and Investigative Sciences), and prior to that worked at Searle/Monsanto, Merck Research Laboratories and SmithKline.
Education:
- Doctorate in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Arizona, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in biochemical toxicology at SmithKline and French labs
- Bachelor of Science in Biology from Fairfield University
One of My Favorite Quotes:
"Knowledge enters best through an open wound." - Anonymous
In My Own Words:
At Millennium:
I lead my team supporting discovery and development programs for all discovery and development projects as they evolve through preclinical development, comparative medicine, and pharmaceutical sciences. NCDS (Non-Clinical Development Sciences) sits at the interface of Discovery and Clinical so our work is critical to moving compounds "across the bridge" and into clinical development. We have a tremendous culture of scientific curiosity and collaboration with a passion to drive molecules to and through the clinic. There is a high level of mutual respect throughout the ranks of our talented team who share the goal of improving our individual and collective output.
The Main Reason I Chose My Field:
I've always had a deep interest in how things work – specifically how molecules impact cell viability, hence toxicology!
The Other Side of Me:
Outside of work, a personal passion of mine is my family – which includes four children (one adopted son from Ethiopia) and a granddaughter! I also like physical work whether it be working out, running, or splitting wood. Being outdoors is a passion of mine, and I have been an avid "primitive" camper/hiker.
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The study of genetic material in the chromosomes of a particular organism and its activity.