Ms Carell replaces Hilde Furberg as Chair, who is elected Vice Chair of the company’s board of directors.
Ms Carell has an extensive background in operating, acquiring and developing healthcare and life science companies. She has previously held the position as CEO of Exeltis USA Inc., the branded division of pharmaceutical company Chemo Group, which she joined in 2014.
Prior to this she was President of Meda US and Executive Vice President of Meda North America & South Pacific at Meda Inc. Before joining Meda, she served as President and CEO of Q-Med AB, a global medical device company, which was acquired by Galderma in 2011 for approx. $1 billion.
Prior to Q-Med, Ms Carell worked as General Manager at Actavis Pharmaceuticals in the Nordic region. She has also served in several Business Development, Sales and Marketing roles for organisations ranging in size from small entrepreneurial to large cap global (Novartis, Johnson & Johnson).
Ms Carell has also held several board assignments as Board Member and as Chair of the Board in both public and private life science and health care provider companies.
Ms Carell said: “I am pleased to be joining the Board of Pharmalink at this exciting time. As a private company, Pharmalink is in the rare position of having positive Phase II clinical trial data on its wholly owned lead candidate, Nefecon, which has shown promising results in patients with IgA nephropathy, a progressive inflammatory kidney disease. With Phase III trials in preparation, including recent senior appointments that add further clinical, regulatory and manufacturing expertise to strengthen the management team, I am looking forward to bringing my experience to the team.”
Johan Häggblad, Managing Director of Pharmalink, said: “We are delighted to welcome Maria as Chair and confident that her extensive domestic and international experience and a proven track record within the industry will be of great value to Pharmalink as we advance Nefecon towards and through Phase III trials.”
