Stoffels becomes Galapagos board chairman

Four months after accepting the CEO job at Galapagos N.V. (Euronext:GLPG; NASDAQ:GLPG), Paul Stoffels will add the chairman title as well. The Belgian biotech said the one-tier management structure, which was approved at its annual shareholders’ meeting, will allow Stoffels to efficiently direct the company’s strategy. Jérôme Contamine and Dan Baker are joining the board as independent directors.

Stoffels, the former head of innovation at Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), joined Galapagos in January after the company endured a string of setbacks even as it retained a healthy cash position, a major partner in Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD), and Phase II programs that include GLPG3970, the lead SIK inhibitor in its Toledo program. He succeeded Onno van de Stolpe, who announced his retirement in August, more than 20 years after co-founding what has become one of Europe’s largest biotechs. ...