Female leaders at the top

EBAMed SA, developer of medical technologies to transform the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, has appointed experienced specialist Marina Izzo as CEO. Izzo served as CEO for Cardionovum, an innovative developer of drug-coated balloon technology. Prior to that, she was Senior Director of Sales and Marketing at Symetis SA (now part of Boston Scientific), where she established the company as a key competitor in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) market. She has held several leadership roles with Medtronic in Europe and with St. Jude Medical, including Marketing Director for the EMEA Atrial Fibrillation (AF) business. In her new role, Izzo will set the vision for EBAMed’s technology and lead the effort for the next financing round, planned for 2022. Former CEO and co-founder, Adriano Garonna has transitioned to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and maintains a role on the company’s Board of Directors. 

Deborah Geraghty, Anokion
Following John Hohneker’s retirement, Anokion, the biotech company focused on treating autoimmune disease by restoring normal immune tolerance, has promoted Deborah Geraghty from chief operating officer to the role of president and CEO, reporting to the Board of Directors. Geraghty joined Anokion in 2018, bringing more than 20 years of extensive experience in the life sciences industry across corporate and portfolio strategy, commercial and finance. Prior to Anokion, Geraghty was senior vice president of corporate strategy at Dimension Therapeutics, where she played a leading role in private and public financing execution, portfolio strategy and growth and the acquisition of the company by Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. She also held multiple roles in various companies. 

Christina Senn-Jakobsen, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley
One year following its launch the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV) has welcomed Christina Senn-Jakobsen as the managing director, taking over from Fathi Derder, who has been leading the early implementation of the SFNV’s work for the past 18 months. Hailing from a family with agricultural roots in Denmark, her interest in health and nutrition led to studies in food science and technology, and from there to a varied career in food innovation – including 12 years at leading consumer goods company Mondelez International in roles spanning R&D, innovation management, marketing and strategy. In her new role, Senn will oversee the activities of the SFNV with the priority to expand the network to include more players in the food and nutrition industry. 

(Press release/ran)

Picture: Marina Izzo, Deborah Geraghty, Christina Senn-Jakobsen (from left to right)