Actelion elects chairman of the board

Actelion has announced that Jean-Pierre Garnier has been elected as the new chairman of its board of directors.

Mr Garnier – who has been a member of the firm's board since May 2011 – was the first chief executive officer of GlaxoSmithKline following the SmithKline Beecham/Glaxo Wellcome merger in 2001.

He has also served in key roles at Schering-Plough and Pierre Fabre Laboratories, while claiming a number of prestigious industry awards that recognise the quality of his leadership.

Robert Cawthorn, who has been Actelion's chairman since the company was created, has agreed to stay on the board until the 2012 annual general meeting, in order to smooth the transition process.

"My fellow board members and I are delighted that Jean-Pierre Garnier, a highly experienced and very successful leader … will now guide Actelion into the next phase of the company's development," he said.

This comes after the firm announced Joseph Scodari's departure from the board for personal reasons last month.