Roberto Bellini appointed President and CEO of BELLUS Health - Francesco Bellini to remain as Chairman of the Board; Charles Cavell appointed Deputy Chairman of the Board
MONTREAL, Dec. 15 /CNW Telbec/ - The Board of Directors of BELLUS Health
Inc. (the "Company") (TSX: BLU) is pleased to announce that Mr. Roberto
Bellini has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of BELLUS
Health, effective January 1, 2010. Mr. Bellini graduated from McGill
University in Biochemistry and was most recently, Vice President, Business
Development at BELLUS Health. He has 8 years of experience with the Company's
products, science, and the industry in which it operates. This experience
provides him with a unique ability and the insight required to move the
Company forward in its next phase of development.
As previously announced at the annual general meeting of shareholders in
June 2009, Dr. Francesco Bellini is stepping down as President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company effective December 31, 2009. Dr. Bellini
will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors and will also provide ongoing
advisory services to the Company, thus enabling BELLUS Health to continue to
benefit from his vast expertise and knowledge of the health sciences and the
pharmaceutical industries.
"I am honoured by this appointment by the Board and wish to thank them
for their support and for this opportunity. Through this expanded role, and
together with the Company's leadership team and its employees, I look forward
to contributing to the Company's success by building on its core strengths to
move the Company's innovative products forward, and to building significant
shareholder value," said Roberto Bellini.
"I wish to thank the Board of Directors for their support during my years
as Chief Executive Officer," said Dr. Bellini. "It has truly been an
extraordinary journey and the Company has evolved into a lean and late-stage
biopharmaceutical company with unique product candidates. I am confident that
the skills and energy that Roberto will bring to the Company, coupled with
the experience of the Board and the support from strong shareholders will
help lead BELLUS Health to future success," he concluded.
The Board is also pleased to announce that Mr. Charles Cavell, who was
elected to the BELLUS Health Board of Directors at the annual general meeting
in June of this year, has agreed to assume the responsibility of Deputy
Chairman, effective January 1, 2010. As former President and CEO of Quebecor
World Inc., one of the world's largest commercial print media services
companies, Mr. Cavell brings years of operational and public company
experience to the Board and to BELLUS Health's executive management. Mr.
Cavell holds a degree in Economics from Mount Allison University, and
completed postgraduate studies at the University of Western Ontario and the
International Institute for Management Development (IMD Lausanne, formerly
IMI Geneva) in Switzerland. He serves on the Boards of several corporate,
educational, and charitable institutions.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors, shareholders, and employees of
BELLUS Health, I would like to thank Dr. Bellini for his years of outstanding
leadership and for his remarkable contribution to this Company. His vision,
tenacity, and relentless hard work continue to inspire all who know him,"
said Charles Cavell. "In addition, I feel very privileged to have the trust
and confidence of the Board as I take on these added responsibilities. I look
forward to working with Roberto Bellini and I am delighted that Dr. Bellini
has agreed to continue to contribute to the future success of the company."
About BELLUS Health
BELLUS Health is a global health company focused on the development and
commercialization of products to provide innovative health solutions to
address critical unmet medical needs.
To contact BELLUS Health
For additional information on BELLUS Health and its drug development
programs, please call the Canada and United States toll-free number 1 877 680
4500 or visit the Web Site at www.bellushealth.com.
Certain statements contained in this news release, other than statements
of fact that are independently verifiable at the date hereof, may constitute
forward-looking statements. Such statements, based as they are on the current
expectations of management, inherently involve numerous risks and
uncertainties, known and unknown, many of which are beyond BELLUS Health
Inc.'s control. Such risks include but are not limited to: the impact of
general economic conditions, general conditions in the pharmaceutical and/or
nutraceutical industry, changes in the regulatory environment in the
jurisdictions in which the BELLUS Health Group does business, stock market
volatility, fluctuations in costs, and changes to the competitive environment
due to consolidation, that actual results may vary once the final and
quality-controlled verification of data and analyses has been completed, as
well as other risks disclosed in public filings of BELLUS Health Inc.
Consequently, actual future results may differ materially from the
anticipated results expressed in the forward-looking statements. The reader
should not place undue reliance, if any, on any forward-looking statements
included in this news release. These statements speak only as of the date
made and BELLUS Health Inc. is under no obligation and disavows any intention
to update or revise such statements as a result of any event, circumstances
or otherwise, unless required by applicable legislation or regulation. Please
see the Annual Information Form of BELLUS Health Inc. for further risk
factors that might affect the BELLUS Health Group and its business.
For further information: Michelle Stein, Specialist, Corporate Communications, (450) 680-4573, mstein@bellushealth.com
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