GVK Biosciences appoints Gerhard N Mayr to its board of directors

GVK Biosciences (GVK BIO), Asia's leading contract research organisation has appointed Gerhard N. Mayr to its board of directors.

Mr Mayr is a member of the board of UCB SA, and a member of the board of Lonza Group. He is a member of the Apax Healthcare Advisory board, a special advisor to the board of Codexis, and an advisor to Almirall SA He is also a member of the board of Project Hope, a member of the board of the Vienna Science-Research and Technology Foundation, and a member of the circle of patrons of INSEAD. He is past chairman of both the International Executive Committee and the Europe Committee of the Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America.

Mr Mayr holds a master's degree in chemical engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich, Switzerland) and a master of business administration degree from Stanford University. He worked for over 32 years with Eli Lilly & Co in various senior management positions, and is credited with expanding Lilly's global footprint in several geographies besides creating new business segments across markets. As executive vice president during the period 1999 to 2004, Mr Mayr was responsible for the global pharma operations and sales / marketing at Lilly.

''We are delighted to have Mr Mayr on our board. His extensive knowledge of the global research pharma industry will guide our strategic direction and strengthen GVK BIO's position in the global research services space,'' said D S Brar, chairman, GVK Biosciences.

''I am excited to be associated with GVK BIO as it expands into the global research services space backed by its strong leadership team, scientific talent and established processes,'' said Gerhard Mayr.

GVK BIO is Asia's leading research services organisation, providing a broad spectrum of services, stand-alone and integrated, across the R&D value chain. Spread across four locations in India, GVK BIO is headquartered at Hyderabad.