Pharming Group Nominates Fabrice Chouraqui as New CEO and Executive Director

Pharming Group N.V. (EURONEXT Amsterdam: PHARM/Nasdaq: PHAR) has announced the nomination of Fabrice Chouraqui as its new Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, set to succeed Sijmen de Vries. The company plans to formally propose Chouraqui’s appointment for a four-year term at an upcoming Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (EGM), with details regarding the meeting to be provided in a separate press release.

Following Chouraqui’s appointment, Sijmen de Vries will step down from the Board of Directors but will continue to support the transition by serving as a strategic advisor to the new CEO until December 31, 2025.

Chouraqui is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with extensive experience at Flagship Pioneering, Novartis, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Most recently, he served as CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering, one of the largest biotech venture capital firms in the U.S. He also led Cellarity, Inc., a Flagship Pioneering-founded company that employs AI-driven approaches to drug discovery. During his tenure, Chouraqui successfully secured over $250 million in funding, attracted prominent investors, initiated a collaboration with Novo Nordisk, and earned Cellarity recognition as a leading biotech company. He currently holds the position of Executive Chairman at Cellarity.

Before joining Flagship Pioneering, Chouraqui spent a decade at Novartis, where he held various leadership roles. As President of Novartis Pharmaceuticals USA from 2016 to 2019, he achieved significant growth despite market challenges and improved profitability. He was promoted to revitalize the business following struggles with recent product launches and implemented advanced commercial strategies to adapt to changing market conditions. Under his leadership, Novartis strengthened its market positions for key growth drivers such as Cosentyx and Entresto, increased the adoption of the rare disease drug Ilaris, and launched the landmark PIONEER clinical trial for heart failure. He was instrumental in shifting the company’s culture towards a more dynamic and collaborative approach.

Prior to leading Novartis’ U.S. operations, Chouraqui served as President for Latin America & Canada (2014-2016), overseeing a strategic transition from primary care medicines to specialized therapies. As Global Head of the Neuroscience Business Franchise (2012-2014), he spearheaded the relaunch of Gilenya for multiple sclerosis and initiated key late-stage pipeline projects, leading to the development of new therapies such as siponimod and the in-licensing of ofatumumab from GSK, which was later launched as Kesimpta. He also played a key role in securing a partnership with Amgen for the migraine drug erenumab, launched as Aimovig.

Chouraqui’s earlier career includes a decade at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he held multiple international leadership roles, culminating in his appointment as Vice President of Commercial Operations for Asia-Pacific and General Manager for Southeast Asia between 2008 and 2010. He began his professional journey in research and development roles at Roussel Uclaf and Hoechst Marion Roussel, both of which later became part of Sanofi.

Academically, Chouraqui holds an MBA from INSEAD, along with a Doctorate in Pharmacy, a postgraduate degree in Quality Assurance of Medicines, and an MSc in Biological and Medicinal Sciences from the University of Paris V.

Pharming confirmed that Chouraqui will resign from his position as Executive Chairman of Cellarity, Inc. before assuming his new role as CEO. However, he intends to continue serving as a non-executive Board member of the company. Additionally, he currently holds an independent Board member position at OranoMed.

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