Co-founder and CEO of AC Immune to retire after a 23-year
The search for a successor is underway
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AC Immune SA announces that Dr Andrea Pfeifer has decided to retire from her role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AC Immune at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) to spend more time with her family.
AC Immune’s Board of Directors has appointed the Chair, Dr Martin Zügel, to serve as interim CEO while the ongoing search for a permanent successor continues. Dr Pfeifer will be engaged as an Advisor to facilitate the transition and will be appointed as Honorary Chair of the Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. The Board appointed a leading industry consultant to conduct the CEO search.
Dr Pfeifer, Chief Executive Officer of AC Immune, commented: “It has been a great honor to serve as CEO of AC Immune together with so many dedicated and brilliant colleagues over the years, not least my co-founders. From our foundation, the evolution of the company has been driven by shared purpose and guided by strong science, clear values and integrity. I would like to thank the Board, and especially our Chair Martin Zügel, for their leadership and for allowing me to step back and retire so that I can focus on my family at this time. I will remain available to support Martin in his role as interim CEO during this transition period.”
Martin Zügel, MD, Chair of the Board of Directors and interim CEO-designate, said, “The Board and I salute the exceptional contribution Andrea has made to AC Immune and respect her decision to retire from her executive role. Throughout her tenure as CEO, Andrea has led with clarity of vision, decisive leadership, and unwavering integrity, consistently championing the company’s long-term potential. She leaves behind a highly capable organization, well-positioned to deliver transformative therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. With three Precision Prevention candidates for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s already in the clinic and strategic partnerships with Eli Lilly, Takeda and Johnson & Johnson, the company is entering its next phase from a position of real strength. We are confident that as the pipeline matures, Andrea’s impact will become even more evident.”
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