ViroCell Biologics (“ViroCell”) today announces the appointment of John A. Dawson CBE as Chairman of the Board of Directors (“Chairman”).
ViroCell aspires to be the global viral vector supplier of choice for novel cell and gene therapy clinical trials. John’s appointment as Chairman further validates the commercial opportunity for ViroCell and represents another major milestone as we build towards becoming a global market leader in the viral vector clinical trial CDMO market.
John was Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Biomedica PLC (“OXB”) from 2008 to 2022 and during that period grew the firm’s market capitalisation from £30 to at peak over £1.2 billion, bringing OXB to the FTSE 250. He has been recognised for his leadership, with many awards, including the Scrip Award for Executive of the Year, and the Mediscience Awards CEO of the Year.
In 2022 John was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (“CBE”) for services to U.K. Life Science by HM Queen Elizabeth II, which was conferred by HM King Charles III.
John’s pivotal appointment follows the strategic build out of the executive team in 2022 with the important additions of Nick Maishman as Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) and Susan B. Nichols as Chief Business Officer (“CBO”).