NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LifeSci Advisors, an investor relations and corporate communications firm focused on the life sciences sector, today announced the 16th appointment of a female executive to a life sciences company board as part of its Board Placement Initiative (BPI), a networking platform built by LifeSci that connects board-ready female executives with life sciences companies seeking board candidates.
Sharon Barbari’s appointment to the Board of Directors for Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary topical foams to address unmet needs in dermatology, is the first appointment this year for LifeSci. In less than 3 years, LifeSci has placed 16 women on life sciences company boards in a movement to close the gender gap and strengthen boards within the life sciences industry. Since BPI’s inception in mid 2016, LifeSci has formed a sizeable network of capable and accomplished women candidates that continues to grow, while an increasing number of life sciences companies utilize BPI to discover and vet potential board members.
“I am thrilled to commence the new year by joining Foamix’s Board of Directors,” said Sharon Barbari. “Looking forward, I am eager to help steer the company through its upcoming milestones as we seek to provide accessible treatment options for millions of patients with moderate-to-severe acne and rosacea.”
Ms. Barbari joins Foamix’s Board with over 40 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience. From 2004 to 2017, she was Chief Financial Officer at Cytokinetics. Ms. Barbari spent four years from 1998 to 2002 in senior financial roles at Gilead Sciences, including CFO. In this position, she led the finance, accounting and information technology functions during a period of significant growth for Gilead and was involved in making finance and IT preparations for the scale up and launch of the company’s first antiviral, Viread®. Ms. Barbari was also employed as CFO and SVP of Finance and Administration at InterMune and VP of Strategic Planning at Foote, Cone & Belding Healthcare. She began her career at Syntex Corporation/Roche Pharmaceuticals where she held various roles of increasing responsibility from 1972 to 1996. Ms. Barbari currently serves as a board member for Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, a publicly-traded pharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapies for chronic skin conditions, and as a board member for the Association of Bioscience Finance Officers, a national non-profit professional group. Previously, she was a board member for Phytogen Life Sciences. In 2017, Ms. Barbari was a recipient of the YWCA Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Awards. She received her B.S. in accounting from San Jose State University.
“It is a great pleasure to have Sharon, a healthcare industry veteran with diverse board experience, join our Board of Directors,” said David Domzalski, Chief Executive Officer of Foamix. “Having served in executive positions for multiple publicly-traded NASDAQ companies and managed various teams from financial operations to facility organizations, Sharon carries an exceptional repertoire of accomplishments. Her proactive leadership gives us confidence as we continue to advance our two lead products in development.”
“Starting the new year with a board placement brings great joy to the LifeSci team and all those who made BPI’s existence possible. Sharon is a champion leader in the healthcare industry and non-profit sector, and her placement will hopefully serve as a model and encouragement for more women to join BPI and pursue board placement,” said Michael Rice, President and Co-Founder of LifeSci Advisors. “I am thankful for companies like Foamix and their support for our program and trust in our guidance. Even more so, I am appreciative and proud of the female executives participating in BPI and working towards bridging the gender gap found within life sciences company boards.”
LifeSci Advisors’ Board Placement Initiative (BPI) was launched to encourage companies in the life sciences industry to diversify and strengthen their company boards. LifeSci meets with a company’s management team or Board regarding the skills and expertise they are seeking in a candidate. After the LifeSci team properly vets board candidates, LifeSci will then make introductions between companies and eligible board candidates. Currently, BPI has helped place 16 women on corporate boards with the intention of continuing this success. Using a proprietary network comprised of board-ready women that the company has built over the last couple years, LifeSci Advisors hopes that BPI can become a valuable platform where both female executives and life sciences companies are able to network and to grow.
BPI is accepting resumes from interested candidates and referrals on an ongoing basis. To find out how you can use the BPI network for your next board candidate search, visit www.lifesciadvisors.com/board-diversity-initiatives. Inquiries, resume submissions, and open board seat referrals can be sent to boarddiversity@lifesciadvisors.com.
LifeSci Advisors, LLC (www.lifesciadvisors.com) is the largest investor relations consultancy in the life sciences industry, founded to provide companies with a multi-faceted approach to investor communications and outreach. With a global focus and reach, the firm provides the highest quality service for its clients through its deep sector specialization. LifeSci’s team of MDs and PhDs enables the firm to better understand clients' R&D, regulatory and commercial strategies, and its team of financial services, investor relations and public relations specialists helps clients effectively communicate to the marketplace. This combination of life sciences, financial services, and investor relations competencies allows LifeSci Advisors to provide an invaluable and unique service offering to clients.
LifeSci Partners (www.lifescipartners.com) is the leading provider of consulting services in the areas of investor relations, public relations, corporate communications and capital markets advisory. Combining deep domain expertise in the life sciences with decades of experience in capital markets and public relations, LifeSci Partners delivers unparalleled services to life sciences companies globally.
Foamix Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary, innovative and differentiated topical drugs for dermatological therapy. Our leading clinical stage product candidates are FMX101, our novel minocycline foam for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acne and FMX103, our novel minocycline foam for the treatment of rosacea. We continue to pursue research & development of our proprietary, innovative foam technologies for the treatment of various skin conditions.
For further information, please contact:
Michael Rice
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
646-597-6979
www.lifesciadvisors.com