AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) today announced the following changes in respect of Non-Executive Directors.
New Non-Executive Director
With effect from 1 January 2019, Professor Tony Mok is appointed as a Non-Executive Director and a member of the Science Committee. Biographical details for Professor Mok are provided below.
Retirement of Non-Executive Director
The Company previously announced that Shriti Vadera will retire as a Director by 31 December 2018, by when she will have served as a Board member for eight years. The Company now confirms she will leave the Board on 31 December 2018.
Leif Johansson, Chairman of AstraZeneca, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Tony Mok to our Board and Science Committee as a leading clinical oncologist and world-renowned expert in precision medicine for lung cancer. He will make a significant contribution to AstraZeneca’s science-led transformation as we bring our science to more patients around the world.
“Shriti Vadera’s eight years with the Company has included service as a member of both the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee. She has been an exceptional colleague during a period of pipeline renewal, as AstraZeneca returned to growth. Her diligence, focus and constant commitment to the Company’s success will be missed. On behalf of all her Board colleagues, we thank her for her service and wish her every success in the future.”
Biographical details – Professor Tony Mok BMSc, MD, FRCP(C), FRCP(Edin), FHKCP, FHKAM(Medicine), FASCO
Professor Tony S K Mok was trained at the University of Alberta, Canada and subsequently completed a fellowship in medical oncology at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. After working as a community oncologist in Toronto, Canada for seven years, he returned to Hong Kong in 1996 to pursue an academic career.
Professor Mok is the Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation endowed Professor and Chairman of the Department of Clinical Oncology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His main research interest focuses on biomarker and molecular targeted therapy in lung cancer. He was the principal investigator and first author on the landmark Iressa Pan-Asia Study (IPASS), which was the first trial that confirmed the application of precision medicine for advanced lung cancer. He has led and co-led multiple other international Phase III trials, addressing various aspects of the management of advanced lung cancer. His work also includes clinical research on oncogene driven lung cancer and immunotherapy and he contributes to the development of clinical research infrastructure in China and Asia. He co-founded the Lung Cancer Research Group, the Chinese Thoracic Oncology Research Group and the Asia Thoracic Oncology Research Group.
Professor Mok has contributed to over 250 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Science, Lancet, Nature Medicine and Journal of Clinical Oncology, and published multiple editorials and textbooks. He is the past-President and current Treasurer of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
His work has been recognised by numerous awards including the Bonnie Addario Award in 2015, Fellowship of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) in 2017, the Paul Bunn Jr Scientific Award in 2017, the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2017 and the ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
Professor Mok is a Non-Executive Director of Hutchison China MediTech Limited and a co-founder and the Chairman of Sanomics Limited.
In relation to Professor Mok’s appointment, except as set out above, no disclosure obligations arise under paragraphs (1) to (6) of LR 9.6.13 R of the UK Listing Authority’s Listing Rules.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas – Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism and Respiratory. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.
