Astellas Makes Announcement about Management Structure

TOKYO, Feb. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Naoki Okamura, "Astellas") today announced that the following changes to its management structure effective April 1, 2025.

Regarding the Changes in Management Structure
Astellas aims to create and deliver "VALUE" for patients. To promote drug discovery activities swiftly and efficiently from the early stages of research through to commercialization with patient-centric approach, Astellas will change its management structure effective April 1, 2025, establishing new top management positions and making personnel changes as follows.

    --  Establishment and Appointment of Chief Research & Development Officer
        (CRDO)As an innovation engine, we will integrate the research and
        development teams, and the Primary Focus Leads to provide the
        next-generation groundbreaking therapies from Astellas. Effective April
        1, 2025, we will establish the position of CRDO, overseeing these
        divisions, with Tadaaki Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D., the current Chief
        Medical Officer (CMO), appointed to this role.





    --  Establishment and Appointment of Chief Commercial & Medical Affairs
        Officer (CCMAO)To build customer engagement that leads the
        pharmaceutical industry, we will integrate the current Commercial and
        Medical Affairs functions while maintaining the independence of each
        function. Effective April 1, 2025, we will establish the position of
        CCMAO, overseeing these divisions, with Claus Zieler, the current Chief
        Commercial Officer (CCO), appointed to this role.With this change in
        management structure, the roles of CMO, CCO, and Chief Scientific
        Officer (CScO) will be eliminated. Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., the
        current CScO, will resign effective March 31, 2025.



    --  Appointment of Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMfgO)Rao V. Mantri, Ph.D.
        will be appointed to the new CMfgO, as of April 1, 2025. He joined
        Astellas on February 3, 2025, and has extensive experience in a global
        pharmaceutical company, focusing on innovation in product development,
        manufacturing, and supply, as well as being involved in management.
        Hideki Shima, the current CMfgO, will resign effective March 31, 2025.

    --  Establishment and Appointment of General Counsel and Chief Ethics &
        Compliance Officer (GC & CECO)We will consolidate legal, intellectual
        property, quality assurance, and ethics & compliance into a single top
        management position as an important risk management function. Effective
        April 1, 2025, we will establish the position of GC & CECO, with Tatjana
        Dragovic appointed to this role. Since joining Astellas in 2007, she has
        held leadership roles in legal and ethics & compliance. Catherine
        Levitt, the current GC, will resign effective March 31, 2025.

Top Management (Effective April 1, 2025)

     Name              
     Title



     Naoki Okamura     
     Representative Director,

                          President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)



     Katsuyoshi Sugita 
     Representative Director,

                        
     Corporate Executive Vice President,

                        
     Chief People Officer (CPO)



     Tadaaki Taniguchi   Chief Research & Development Officer (CRDO)



     Rao Mantri        
     Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMfgO)



     Claus Zieler        Chief Commercial & Medical Affairs Officer
                           (CCMAO)



     Adam Pearson      
     Chief Strategy Officer (CStO)



     Nick Eshkenazi      Chief Digital & Transformation Officer (CDTO)



     Atsushi Kitamura  
     Chief Financial Officer (CFO)



     Tatjana Dragovic    General Counsel and Chief Ethics & Compliance
                           Officer

                        
      (GC & CECO)

About Astellas

Astellas is a global life sciences company committed to turning innovative science into VALUE for patients. We provide transformative therapies in disease areas that include oncology, ophthalmology, urology, immunology and women's health. Through our research and development programs, we are pioneering new healthcare solutions for diseases with high unmet medical need. Learn more at www.astellas.com.

Cautionary Notes
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties. Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

(Reference)

    --  Biography of the Newly Appointed Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMfgO)

              Name: Rao
               V. Mantri



    Career
     History:


              February
               2025       
     Astellas (present post)


              June 2022     Senior Vice President, Product Development, Bristol Myers Squibb


              September
               2021       
     Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Bristol Myers Squibb


              November
               2019         Head & Vice President, Drug Product Development, Bristol Myers Squibb


              June 2019     Co-Lead, Oncology Product Design & Delivery Development Team, Bristol
                             Myers Squibb


              June 2016     Executive Director, Parenteral Science & Technology, Bristol Myers
                             Squibb


              August 2012   Director, Materials Science & Engineering, Bristol Myers Squibb


              January
               2010       
     Associate Director, Aseptic Technology, Bristol Myers


              May 2000      Scientist roles with increasing responsibility, Biopharmaceutics R&D,
                             Bristol Myers Squibb

    --  Biography of the Newly Appointed General Counsel and Chief Ethics &
        Compliance Officer (GC & CECO)

              Name: Tatjana Dragovic



    Career History:



              May 2018               Head, Ethics & Compliance, Astellas
                                       (present post)



              June 2014              Vice President, Ethics & Compliance,
                                       Astellas



              February 2013          Associate General Counsel, US, Astellas



              November 2000          Assistant General Counsel, US, Astellas



              July 2007              Senior Corporate Counsel, US, Astellas



              August 2000            Associate Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/astellas-makes-announcement-about-management-structure-302367072.html

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.