Board of Directors
InVasc Therapeutics' Board of Directors currently has five members: Mr. Daniele Cardoso, Chief Executive Officer of Infa Group SpA; Dr. Larry Dillaha, Chief Medical Officer of Insys Therapeutics, Inc.; Dr. William Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of InVasc Therapeutics, Inc.; Mr. Frank Kelly, President & CEO of MFK Global, Inc.; and Mr. William Schaeffer, Chief Operating Officer of InVasc Therapeutics, Inc.
Daniele Cardoso
Chief Executive Officer, Infa Group SpA
Mr. Cardoso is Chief Executive Officer for the Infa Group SpA, a major active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturer, headquartered in Milan, Italy. Mr. Cardoso joined his family’s company (Labochim S.p.A.) in 1988 and began a major business development initiative leading to operations in France, Germany, Switzerland and the US and expansion of Labochim’s core manufacturing operations. In 2006, he attracted one of the largest independent Italian private equity funds to become a major shareholder in the Infa Group giving it the financial resources to grow its operations, product lines and services. In 2007 & 2008, under Mr. Cardoso’s leadership, Infa acquired three API manufacturing companies in Europe, and started a number of research initiatives. Mr. Cardoso holds a degree in Law and is also actively involved at the board level of several trade associations in Italy as well as in Europe. His investment in InVasc is through Trois I Investissements Industriels Internationaux S.A., an industrial holding company based in Luxembourg.
Larry M. Dillaha, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer, Insys Therapeutics, Inc
Dr. Dillaha is Chief Medical Officer for Insys Therapeutics, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company based in Phoenix, Arizona, and has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Insys in March 2011, he was Executive Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer for Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (formerly Sciele Pharma, Inc.) where he led the development and successful FDA filings of numerous drugs integral to the success of the company. Before Sciele, Dr Dillaha served as Medical Director for Sanofi-Aventis, a multi-national pharmaceutical company, where he was involved in several major clinical studies for that company’s lead compounds, Avapro (irbesartan) and Plavix (clopidogrel). He also has a successful track record working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the development and approval of drug therapies. Dr. Dillaha earned his M.D. degree as well as a B.A. in Biology from the University of Tennessee.
William D. Johnston, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer, InVasc Therapeutics, Inc.
Dr. Johnston joined InVasc in April 2009 with more than 35 years of experience in executive management of biotechnology and medical companies. Most recently he was President and CEO of Inhibitex, Inc., where he took the company from the university laboratory to the public markets raising $220 million and reaching a peak market cap of $320 million. Prior to Inhibitex, Bill spent twenty-two years at Baxter Healthcare where he was recognized for building technology based organizations and leading the development of several products that today have annual sales approaching $1 billion. For six years he was the Vice President of Baxter’s central research organization and initiated their scientific and business efforts in stem cell isolation, transplantation and gene therapy research. Subsequently, Bill was promoted to General Manager of Baxter's gene therapy business unit. He has served as an advisor or a member on numerous corporate, community, industrial and academic boards. Bill earned his B.S. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Brigham Young University.
Frank Kelly, Jr.
President & CEO, MFK Global, Inc. – Former Officer of The Coca-Cola Company.
Mr. Kelly had a 29-year career in the soft drink and refreshment industry including 24 years at The Coca-Cola Company, holding various executive positions with both U.S. and global responsibilities including Japan. Overall he has 40 years of experience in finance, marketing and operations. At the time of his retirement, Mr. Kelly was Corporate Vice President, and President and CEO of the Coca-Cola Nestlé Refreshments joint venture. For an interim period, Mr. Kelly served as President and CEO of PepsiCo (Japan) Company, Ltd at PepsiCo International. He then moved back to The Coca-Cola Company where he oversaw the positioning of Coke® in Korea in preparation for the Olympics. Upon leaving Coca-Cola in 1999, Mr. Kelly formed MFK Global, Inc., a diversified consulting firm, and is its President and CEO. He serves as Chairman of the Board for Hygea Health Network (healthcare and IPA), and Denarii Systems, as well as Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Rainmaker Financial Group Inc. Mr. Kelly is also on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee for The National Arthritis Foundation and the Board of Trustees for Bentley College. Mr. Kelly holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Bentley College and an MBA from Harvard University.
William D. Schaeffer
Chief Operating Officer, InVasc Therapeutics, Inc.
Mr. Schaeffer joined InVasc in March 2009 and brings 35 years of operations and quality assurance leadership within the healthcare industry. Most recently he was Vice President, Global Head of Quality for Ciba Vision Inc. (a Novartis company) where he co-led their global quality improvement initiative. Prior to joining Ciba Vision, Mr. Schaeffer was President of the American Cardiovascular Research Institute, a non-profit, translational medical research organization focused on accelerating the development of improved & cutting-edge therapies for cardiovascular patients. He is also very experienced with start-ups and the FDA. As Chief Operating Officer for Ortec International, Inc., a tissue engineering company, he led them to two FDA product approvals and first stage commercialization. Mr. Schaeffer began his career with Johnson & Johnson where he spent 27 years in a variety of management positions. Prior to leaving JNJ, he was Vice President, Quality Assurance Worldwide for Cordis, Inc. and a member of their Management Board. Mr. Schaeffer earned his B.S. in Biology from Bucknell University.
