Anika Appoints Dr. Cheryl Blanchard to Its Board of Directors
Anika Therapeutics, Inc., a global, integrated orthopedic and regenerative medicines company specializing in therapeutics based on its proprietary hyaluronic acid technology, announced that Cheryl R. Blanchard, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Keratin Biosciences, Inc., has been appointed as a new independent member of the Company’s Board of Directors with a term continuing through the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. With Dr. Blanchard’s appointment, the Board of Directors has been expanded to seven directors.
“With more than 30 years of leadership and board experience in medical devices and biotechnology, Cheryl is an outstanding addition to Anika’s Board,” said Joseph L. Bower, Chairman of the Board. “We are committed to strong corporate governance. We continue to actively evaluate the composition of our Board to ensure we have the right mix of expertise, independence, and experience to best position Anika for the future.”
“Cheryl has an impressive track record of delivering strong business results, and I am pleased she is joining Anika’s Board,” said Joseph G. Darling, President and CEO of Anika. “As we undergo a shift from palliative care to regenerative medicine, we could not imagine someone better qualified than Cheryl to help guide us through our next phase. As President and CEO of a drug delivery and regenerative medicine company, she understands the path forward and brings to the table considerable experience in corporate strategy, R&D, commercialization, strategic partnerships, regulatory, clinical and quality, operations, manufacturing, marketing, and fundraising. We welcome her insights as we develop and implement our five-year strategic plan to deliver and sustain double-digit revenue growth beginning in 2019 and beyond.”
“This is an exciting time to join the Anika Board,” said Dr. Blanchard. “I have followed Anika’s growth through the years and have a deep appreciation for the Company’s world-class talent, versatile and proprietary technology platform, and diverse commercial portfolio with an exciting pipeline. I look forward to working closely with the Anika team to effect a transformation that continues to deliver solutions to help patients heal naturally and faster and that builds value for its shareholders.”
Consistent with the Company’s commitment to strong corporate governance, the Anika Board is underway in identifying an additional director who will be joining the Board in the coming months.
Dr. Blanchard currently serves as President and CEO of Keratin Biosciences, Inc., a venture-backed biotech company developing regenerative medicine and drug delivery therapies based on a purified human-derived keratin technology platform. She also serves as a director of SeaSpine Holdings Corporation, CeramTec GMBH, Elute, and Bio2 Technologies, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and advises a number of venture and private equity clients.
Previously, she served in a number of leadership roles, including Sr. Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer and GM, Biologics, at Zimmer, Inc., a worldwide healthcare leader in the design, development, manufacture and marketing of orthopedic implants.
Dr. Blanchard holds 32 patents, many of which are used in commercial applications, and has over 50 peer-reviewed publications. She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University, and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, both from the University of Texas at Austin.