UNION therapeutics welcomes life science leaders Gitte Aabo and Arthur Higgins as new members of the Board of Directors
UNION therapeutics A/S, a privately-held, multi-asset, clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on immunology and infectious diseases,
today announced that Gitte Aabo, CEO of GN Hearing A/S, and Arthur Higgins, Senior Advisor to Blackstone Private Equity Group, have been elected to the Board of Directors of UNION. Arthur Higgins has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Board.
Stig Løkke Pedersen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of UNION, says:
“With their impressive track records, Gitte Aabo and Arthur Higgins are very experienced life science professionals with long executive careers at the highest level in the healthcare industry, spanning from innovation and startup to chief executive positions of large, global companies, directorships, deal-making and financing. Thanks to their comprehensive leadership experience from large and complex organizations, they will provide significant value to the board’s work regarding strategy, governance, and company processes. They complete the board’s competences, and I very much look forward to working with Gitte and Arthur on UNION’s exciting journey.”
Rasmus Toft-Kehler, Co-Founder of UNION and Chief Operating Officer, says:
“I am proud of UNION’s ability to attract very strong board members with proven track records, international network and strategic vision, who can support our ambition to build a sustainable and innovative pharmaceutical company. Gitte Aabo brings deep insights in dermatology from LEO Pharma and relevant experience as the current CEO of a large listed global healthcare leader. Arthur Higgins knows the mechanics of leading a pharmaceutical company inside out, and he has extensive deal making experience. On top of that, they are amazing people, who I am sure will deliver substantial value to UNION.”
Gitte Aabo is the Chief Executive Officer at GN Hearing (NASDAQ: GN), one of the global leaders in hearing aid innovation. Prior to this, she was President & Chief Executive Officer of LEO Pharma. Gitte Aabo is also a member of the Committee of Directors of Danmarks Nationalbank (the Danish National Bank), and a board member of ALK-Abelló A/S and HIMPP A/S. Gitte Aabo has extensive global leadership experience from the life science industry and a deep understanding of dermatology, marketing and capital markets. Gitte Aabo holds an M.Sc. in Business administration from Copenhagen Business School.
Arthur Higgins is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone Private Equity Group and Board member at Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) and Zimmer Biomet (NYSE: ZBH). Previously, Arthur Higgins was Chief Executive Officer of Bayer HealthCare AG as well as Chairman of the Bayer HealthCare Executive Committee and Enzon Pharmaceuticals. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Assertio Therapeutics, Inc. Through extensive leadership experience at large healthcare companies in both the United States and Europe, Arthur Higgins will provide UNION with deep knowledge of the global pharmaceutical markets and strategies for developing, marketing and transacting pharmaceutical products. Arthur Higgins holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from Strathclyde University and is based in the U.S.