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Matthew W. Emmens
Mr. Emmens is Chairman and CEO of Vertex. He became our Chairman, CEO and President in 2009 and has been a member of our Board of Directors since 2004. Mr. Emmens is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc and was its Chief Executive Officer from March 2003 through June 2008. Before joining Shire in 2003, Mr. Emmens served as president of Merck KGaA's global prescription pharmaceuticals business in Darmstadt, Germany. In 1999, he joined Merck KGaA and established EMD Pharmaceuticals, its United States prescription pharmaceutical business. Mr. Emmens held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer at EMD Pharmaceuticals from 1999 to 2001. Prior to this, Mr. Emmens held various positions, including Chief Executive Officer, at Astra Merck, Inc. as well as several positions at Merck & Co., Inc. Mr. Emmens also currently serves as a director of Incyte Corporation. Mr. Emmens received a B.S. degree in business management from Farleigh Dickinson University.
Joshua Boger, Ph.D.
Dr. Joshua Boger founded Vertex Pharmaceuticals in 1989. He was our Chief Executive Officer from 1992 until May 2009. He was our Chairman of the Board from 1997 until May 2005. He was our President from our inception in 1989 until December 2000, and again from 2005 until February 2009. He was our Chief Scientific Officer from 1989 until May 1992. Dr. Boger has been a director since Vertex's inception. Prior to founding Vertex in 1989, Dr. Boger held the position of Senior Director of Basic Chemistry at Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey, where he headed both the Department of Medicinal Chemistry of Immunology & Inflammation and the Department of Biophysical Chemistry. Dr. Boger holds a B.A. in chemistry and philosophy from Wesleyan University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from Harvard University.
Roger W. Brimblecombe, Ph.D.
Dr. Brimblecombe has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1993 and a member of the Board of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Europe) Ltd. since 2005. He served as Chairman of Vanguard Medica plc from 1991 to 2000, of Core Group plc from 1997 to 1999, of Oxford Asymmetry International plc from 1997 to 2000 and pSivida Ltd. from 2002 to 2007. From 1979 to 1990, he held various Vice Presidential posts in SmithKline & French Laboratories' research and development organization, including Vice President R&D for Europe and Japan. He is currently a Partner in MVM Life Science Partners LLP and a director of Tissue Science Laboratories plc (listed on the AIM market in the United Kingdom). He holds Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees in pharmacology from the University of Bristol, England.
Stuart J. M. Collinson, Ph.D.
Dr. Collinson has been a member of our Board of Directors since July 2001. He currently serves as a Partner at Forward Ventures. Prior to our merger with Aurora Biosciences Corporation in 2001, Dr. Collinson served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Aurora. Dr. Collinson held senior management positions with Glaxo Wellcome from December 1994 to June 1998, most recently serving as Co-Chairman, Hospital and Critical Care Therapy Management Team and Director of Hospital and Critical Care. Dr. Collinson received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Oxford, England and his M.B.A. from Harvard University.
Eugene H. Cordes, Ph.D.
Dr. Cordes has been a member of our Board of Directors since 2005, and a member of the Company's Scientific Advisory Board since 1996. Dr. Cordes was the Chairman of Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a position he held from January 2002 to March 2006. Prior to joining Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Cordes was a professor of pharmacy at the University of Michigan. Dr. Cordes received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Brandeis University.
Jeffrey Leiden M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Leiden was President and Chief Operating Officer of Abbott Laboratories, Pharmaceuticals Products Group, and a member of the Board of Directors of Abbott and TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Inc. from 2001 to 2006. From 1987 to 2000, Dr. Leiden held several academic appointments, including the Rawson Professor of Medicine and Pathology and Chief of Cardiology and Director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of Chicago, the Elkan R. Blout Professor of Biological Sciences at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. During his academic career, Dr. Leiden was involved in starting several biotechnology companies, including Vical Inc. and Cardiogene Inc. He is an elected member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Leiden is currently a Managing Director at Clarus Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm. Dr. Leiden is also a Director and the non-executive Vice Chairman of the board of Shire plc. In addition, he is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of both TyRx Pharma and Variation Biotechnologies Inc., and a member of the Board of Directors of Biolex Therapeutics and Lycera Corp.. Dr. Leiden received both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago.
Bruce I. Sachs
Mr. Sachs has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1998. He is a General Partner at Charles River Ventures. From 1998 to 1999, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Ascend Communications, Inc. From 1997 until 1998, Mr. Sachs served as President and CEO of Stratus Computer, Inc. From 1995 to 1997, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Internet Telecom Business Group at Bay Networks, Inc. From 1993 to 1995, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Xylogics, Inc. Mr. Sachs also currently serves as a director of BigBand Networks, Inc. Mr. Sachs holds a B.S.E.E. in electrical engineering from Bucknell University, an M.E.E. in electrical engineering from Cornell University, and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University.
Charles A. Sanders, M.D.
Dr. Sanders has been a member of our Board since 1996 and assumed the role of Lead Independent Director in May 2009. Dr. Sanders served as our Chairman from May 2006 through May 2009. He retired in 1994 as Chief Executive Officer and in 1995 as Chairman of Glaxo Inc. From 1990 to 1995, he served as a member of the board of Glaxo plc. From 1981 to 1989, Dr. Sanders held a number of positions at Squibb Corporation, including that of Vice Chairman. Dr. Sanders has previously served on the boards of Merrill Lynch, Reynolds Metals Co., Morton International Inc., Fisher Scientific International, Biopure Corporation and Genentech. He is also a director of Cephalon Corporation and Icagen, Inc. Dr. Sanders had his undergraduate education at University of Texas, and earned an M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
Elaine S. Ullian
Ms. Ullian has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1997. Since 1996, she has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Boston Medical Center. From 1994 to 1996, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Boston University Medical Center Hospital. From 1987 to 1994, Ms. Ullian served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Faulkner Hospital. She also serves as a director of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Ms. Ullian holds a B.A. in political science from Tufts University and a M.P.H. from the University of Michigan.
Dennis Winger
Dennis Winger joined our Board in July 2009, and chairs the audit and finance committee.
Mr. Winger brings over 30 years of experience as a financial executive, the majority of which has focused on the life sciences industry, to Vertex's board. He retired in 2008 from Applera Corporation, a life sciences company, where he had been Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 1997. He was previously Senior Vice President of Finance, Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Chiron Corporation. Before joining Chiron, Mr. Winger held various financial executive leadership roles with divisions of The Cooper Companies. He is a director of Cell Genesys Inc. and Cephalon Inc. He holds an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and he earned his undergraduate degree from Siena College.
