Sanofi appoints strategic development and scientific advisory council chair

Sanofi has announced the appointment of Dr Gary Nabel as the new chairman of its strategic development and scientific advisory council.

Dr Nabel has an extensive and distinguished background of academic and hospital appointments and is known for his expertise in the fields of virology, immunology, gene therapy and molecular biology.

He has been hired as the successor to Dr Richard Klausner and will direct the activities of the council, including the selection, appointment and evaluation of advisers.

Sanofi established its strategic development and scientific advisory council in 2010 to enhance scientific discovery through a collaborative approach, while developing its research and development platform to a world-class standard.

Dr Elias Zerhouni, president for global research and development at Sanofi, said: "I am delighted that Dr Gary Nabel will continue to make this council a vital part of our efforts to open Sanofi's research and development to outside perspectives."

This comes after Sanofi announced that its president of global operations Hanspeter Spek will be stepping down from his position in mid-2013.