ViroCell accelerates 2022 momentum with appointment of John A. Dawson CBE as Chairman of the Board of Directors

ViroCell Biologics (“ViroCell”) today announces the appointment of John A. Dawson CBE as Chairman of the Board of Directors (“Chairman”).

ViroCell aspires to be the global viral vector supplier of choice for novel cell and gene therapy clinical trials. John’s appointment as Chairman further validates the commercial opportunity for ViroCell and represents another major milestone as we build towards becoming a global market leader in the viral vector clinical trial CDMO market.

John was Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Biomedica PLC (“OXB”) from 2008 to 2022 and during that period grew the firm’s market capitalisation from £30 to at peak over £1.2 billion, bringing OXB to the FTSE 250. He has been recognised for his leadership, with many awards, including the Scrip Award for Executive of the Year, and the Mediscience Awards CEO of the Year.

In 2022 John was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (“CBE”) for services to U.K. Life Science by HM Queen Elizabeth II, which was conferred by HM King Charles III. 

John’s pivotal appointment follows the strategic build out of the executive team in 2022 with the important additions of Nick Maishman as Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) and Susan B. Nichols as Chief Business Officer (“CBO”).  

John’s arrival follows the MHRA issuance of the GMP certificate for the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children’s (“GOSH”) Zayed Centre for Research (“ZCR”). The ZCR houses a state-of-the-art GMP manufacturing facility, where ViroCell’s vector manufacturing is based. The GOSH-ViroCell team have worked intensely over the last 18 months to achieve this objective, which sets the stage for addressing the global viral vector manufacturing supply demand imbalance for novel cell and gene therapies. 

John W Hadden II, CEO at ViroCell, commented:
“We are honoured that John has joined our Board of Directors. His network in cell and gene therapy will be invaluable in helping us grow vector market share, as clients seek to de-risk their novel cell and gene therapy product candidates. John has an impressive commercial and operational track record, gained from building one of the first viral vector CDMOs. We look forward to working closely with John and to his contributions to ViroCell’s growth in 2023 and beyond.”

John A Dawson CBE, Chairman at ViroCell, added:
“I am delighted to join ViroCell’s Board of Directors as its Chairman to help it become a global leader in the cell and gene therapy clinical trials CDMO market. I am impressed by both the quality and experience of ViroCell’s team and the speed with which they have scaled the organisation. Now, with access to state-of-the-art facilities, ViroCell stands ready to begin manufacturing and delivering vectors to clients. What makes ViroCell unique and stand out among other CDMOs is that its team’s track record of designing and manufacturing vectors for clinical trials over twenty years places them among the most knowledgeable and experienced vector teams in the world. The number of partners that have approached ViroCell for their vector needs is a significant leading indicator of future success. I am excited to join the company.”