Sanofi appoints Jean-Paul Kress as Independent Director
Paris: Sanofi has announced the appointment of Jean-Paul Kress as an Independent Director, effective January 1, 2025. Jean-Paul Kress will replace Gilles Schnepp, who has decided to leave the Board at the end of 2024.
"Sanofi's Board of Directors is pleased to welcome Jean-Paul Kress as an independent director as of January 1, 2025, replacing Gilles Schnepp who has decided to leave the Board at the end of 2024," the Company stated.
Jean-Paul Kress will hold his position for the remainder of Gilles Schnepp's term of office and his appointment will be subject to ratification at the next Ordinary Shareholders' Meeting of Sanofi.
Jean-Paul Kress, M.D., served as the CEO of MorphoSys from 2019 until it was acquired by Novartis in 2024. He led the company in its mission – More life for people with cancer – and has spearheaded its transformation into a global biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel cancer medicines. Prior to this, Jean-Paul Kress was the CEO of Syntimmune, where he sharpened the company’s focus on late-stage clinical development in auto-immune diseases until the company’s acquisition by Alexion. He has also held several senior leadership roles at other pharmaceutical companies in the US and in Europe. Jean-Paul Kress served as Chairman of the Board of Directors at ERYTECH Pharma and was a member of Sarepta Therapeutics’ Board of Directors.
He received his M.D. from Faculté Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris and Master of Sciences in molecular and cellular pharmacology from Ecole normale supérieure (Ulm) in Paris.
Frédéric Oudéa, Chairman of the Board of Directors said, "I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Gilles Schnepp for his unwavering dedication to the Board, and particularly his pivotal contribution to the evolution of the company’s governance in 2023. The Board is delighted to welcome Jean-Paul Kress as its newest director. With over 30 years of diverse executive experience in the pharmaceutical sector, spanning large corporations and biotech firms, Jean-Paul brings exceptional global expertise to the Board. His insights will be invaluable in guiding the company’s ongoing strategic evolution in the biopharmaceutical field."
Regarding the organization of the Board Committees, Patrick Kron will take over as Chairman of the Appointments, Governance and CSR Committee and Jean-Paul Kress will join the Strategy Committee and the Scientific Committee.
