John Chiplin, the senior non-executive director on Scancell's (LON:SCLP) board, is to take over as non-executive chairman from David Evans.
Evans has decided to reduce the number of non-executive chairman roles he occupies, and has stepped down with immediate effect.
Chiplin is based in the USA and his appointment as chairman is in line with the immunotherapies specialist's stated intention to increase its focus on the US market.
As previously announced on 18 December 2015, Scancell has formed its core US investigator team to lead a Phase 2 checkpoint inhibitor combination study with its lead cancer vaccine SCIB1.
"John has a wealth of international experience in this sector, particularly in the US, and I am confident that he will successfully guide the board and management team as the company embarks on the next stage of development and growth," said Evans, as his eight-year stint as chairman drew to a close.
Dr Richard Goodfellow and Professor Durrant, joint chief executives of Scancell, paid tribute to Evans's leadership and the contribution he had made to the development of the company, and expressed their delight that Chiplin had agreed to succeed him.
“His significant board experience and strong track record in the life science and technology industries makes him a clear successor and we look forward to working with him at this important time in the company's development," they added.