Board Commissions

Professional profile and biography
Eva Abans Iglesias began her professional career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, where she worked in the audit area of the London and Madrid offices until 2001. Subsequently, in June 2001, she joined Ernst & Young, holding various positions until she was appointed Partner in 2007. In 2015, she was appointed Managing Partner of EY Catalonia, a position she held until September 2018.

In October 2018, she joined Grupo Mediapro, a leader in the European audiovisual sector. She currently holds the position of Chief Corporate Officer, and is also a key member of the Executive Committee and the Management Committee of Grupo Mediapro.

Eva Abans Iglesias holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Complutense University of Madrid and an MBA from IEDE.

Other significant Boards to which she belongs, listed companies or otherwise
None.

Member category
Independent Director.

Date of first appointment, and subsequent appointments
First appointment on 10/05/2024.

Company shares, and share options
None.

Mr. De Leyva holds an M.Sc. Degree in Civil Engineering from the Engineering School of Madrid and an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he was a Fullbright Scholar specialised in Finance and Accounting. He has developed his career in top-level companies such as Unión Fenosa (1983-1986) and McKinsey & Company (1986-2006), in various executive positions and countries (including the UK and US), and is currently one of the founding partners of Magnum Industrial Partners, a leading Iberian private equity firm which has launched three funds to the market with c. €1.5 bn of committed capital. He also belongs to the Boards of Directors of Indra as well as several portfolio companies of the Magnum Funds. He has been Chairman or Director of companies in the Education, Energy, Industry, Health Care, B2B Services, and Telecommunications industries.

Mr. Antonio Gallardo holds a degree in Business Science from the University of Barcelona and an Executive MBA from the University of Chicago. He also has a Master's degree in Marketing from ESADE. He started his professional career at Akzo Nobel, where he stayed for seven years reaching the position of Marketing Director, and in 1999 he joined Almirall as Area Manager. Later, he was Director of Pharmacy Marketing and developed a loyalty programme consisting of 10,000 pharmacies through the network of medical representatives in Spain, after which he joined the medical visit network as Area Manager and later as Division Chief. In 2008, he left Almirall to continue working in the family business, where he took charge of the real estate area as the Chairman of The Landon Group.

Daniel Ignacio Ripley Soria holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB) by ICAI-ICADE, Spain, and a Dual Degree in Economics and Business. In 1998, he passed the Public Competitive Examination to join the Legal State Corps. A practicing lawyer registered with the Bar Association of Barcelona; he served as State Attorney in the State’s General Administration court before joining the law firm of Uría Menéndez in 2003 where he became a partner just two years later in 2005. His expertise is Public Law: he advises companies and public entities regarding licensing, public goods and services or public procurement; and commercial law in stock market, corporate commercial law and real state or infrastructure operations. Ripley is a member of the International Bar Association and the State Attorneys Association. He was also a teacher in ESADE, the Fiscal Studies Institute in Barcelona, and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, where he currently teaches civil law since 2002.

Ms. Eva-Lotta Coulter holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Jakobsbergskolan (Stockholm) and Microbiology from the Laboratory School University (Stockholm), and a Master Certificate in Marketing from the Institute for Higher Marketing Business School (Stockholm). Ms. Coulter is also non-executive director of Aleta Biotherapeutics and Crescendo Biologics, Chairman and member of the Nomination Committee at C4X Discovery and non-executive director and member of the Corporate Governance Committee and the R&D Subcommittee at Targovax ASA.

Master of Science (University of Utrecht, The Netherlands) and PhD in Immunology (University of Leiden, The Netherlands). Mr. Dobber was appointed in January 2019 Executive Vice-President, BioPharmaceuticals Business in AstraZeneca and is responsible for product strategy and commercial delivery for Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism (CVRM) and Respiratory & Immunology. Prior to this, Mr. Dobber held several executive roles at AstraZeneca, among others President at AstraZeneca US and Executive Vice-President North America, Executive Vice-President Europe, Regional Vice-President Europe, Middle East and Africa, Regional Vice-President Asia Pacific or Area Vice-President Europe 1. In addition, Mr. Dobber was a member of the Board and Executive Committee of EFPIA and Chairman of the Asia division of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Professional profile and biography
Ugo Di Francesco was CEO of the Chiesi Group from 2011 to 2022, overseeing all global operations of the company. He has 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He previously served as Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Sigma-Tau, overseeing all of Sigma-Tau’s European and global operations. Among other projects, he led the acquisition of the Specialty Care business of Enzon Inc. in the US.

He has also served as vice chairman of Amgen Corp (Thousand Oaks, USA) for Southern Europe, the Middle East and Africa at the international headquarters in Zug, Switzerland. In 2002, he joined Novartis, based in Prague, as general manager and regional president of Novartis s.r.o. for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and was subsequently appointed general manager and regional president of Novartis Pharma S.p.A. in Italy (Origgio, Varese).

In 1998, he joined Bristol Myers Squibb, based in Rome, as head of the Oncology Business Unit and, in 2000, he was appointed Vice President of the Pharmaceuticals Division of the Italian subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb Corp (Princeton, USA). Ugo Di Francesco holds an Executive MBA from the Bologna Business School.

Other significant Boards to which he belongs, listed companies or otherwise
Kedrion S.p.A. and Kedrion Holding S.p.A.

Member category
Independent Director.

Date of first appointment, and subsequent appointments
First appointment on 10/05/2024.

Company shares, and share options
None.

Daniel Ignacio Ripley Soria holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB) by ICAI-ICADE, Spain, and a Dual Degree in Economics and Business. In 1998, he passed the Public Competitive Examination to join the Legal State Corps. A practicing lawyer registered with the Bar Association of Barcelona; he served as State Attorney in the State’s General Administration court before joining the law firm of Uría Menéndez in 2003 where he became a partner just two years later in 2005. His expertise is Public Law: he advises companies and public entities regarding licensing, public goods and services or public procurement; and commercial law in stock market, corporate commercial law and real state or infrastructure operations. Ripley is a member of the International Bar Association and the State Attorneys Association. He was also a teacher in ESADE, the Fiscal Studies Institute in Barcelona, and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, where he currently teaches civil law since 2002.

Dr. Orlow holds a Doctor of Medicine and a PhD in Molecular Pharmacology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (US) and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Harvard College (US). He serves as a Senior Advisor to Pharus Securities. In the past, Dr. Orlow was, among other roles, partner at Easton Capital Partners, Co-Founder of Anaderm Research Corporation, and Director of Protez Pharmaceuticals and Transave, Inc. Throughout his career, Dr. Orlow has been a Professor in the Departments of Dermatology, Cell Biology, and Pediatrics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where he has also served as Chair of the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology since 2006.

Dr. Alexandra B. Kimball holds an AB in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, an MD from Yale University School of Medicine, and an MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Professor Kimball is the President and CEO of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians (HMFP) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre (BIDMC), member of the BIDMC Board of Directors and a dermatologist at the same centre. She is a Professor of Dermatology at the Harvard Medical School, as well as the Co-Chair of the Management Board at Beth Israel Lahey Health Performance Network (BILPN). She has led over 150 clinical trials in a wide range of diseases examining drug safety, efficacy, and dosing, published more than 350 papers, and served on several Data Safety Monitoring Boards, including for the NIH. In recognition of her research on physician workforce economics, quality of life, and outcomes, she was awarded the American Skin Association Research Award for Health Policy and Medical Education and the Mass General Hospital Bowditch Prize. Other awards include Mentor of the Year from the Women’s Derm Society and the Outstanding Physician-Clinician and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Psoriasis Foundation. Dr Kimball has served on the non-profit Boards of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy, and the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation. She is past President of the International Psoriasis Council and serves on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health.

Carlos Gallardo joined the pharmaceutical industry over 20 years ago when he joined Pfizer based in New York. In 2004, he joined Almirall where he has remained until the present day. First as an executive in different countries and positions ranging from Strategy, Sales, Licensing, M&A and to Country Management. In 2013, he was appointed Board Director. He became Vice Chairman in 2020 and Chairman as of May 2022. In November 2022, he was appointed interim CEO and in light of the very positive evolution and performance, in February 2023 he was appointed CEO. Additionally, Carlos has established a successful career in innovative healthcare technology. He is the founder and CEO of CG Health Ventures, which invests in early-stage digital health and medtech companies globally, providing a unique blend of operational support and capital. Carlos serves on a number of boards of promising early-stage companies. Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, Carlos worked as an engineer in the automotive industry in logistics and supply chain. He holds a MS in industrial engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Mercedes Diz joined Almirall in 2002 and, since 2023, holds the position of Chief Marketing Officer, leading the global commercial strategy and defining the marketing strategy for global strategic products, driving the analysis, planning and execution of brand plans. Previously, Diz was Vice President of Corporate Strategy, leading key strategic processes and projects for the company and defining the prioritites to achieve the company’s long-term ambition in medical dermatology. Among her previous roles at Almirall, Diz has also been responsible for managing commercial activities in several affiliates (Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Nordics, Poland, Switzerland, and the UK), as well as leading global commercial support functions, including Global Alliance Management & Partners and Licensing & Corporate Development. From 2018 to 2020, Diz successfully led the Global marketing and market access team in charge of the company’s Strategic Global Brands. Mercedes Diz holds a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology degree from Madrid Autonomous University. Before Almirall, she performed local sales and marketing roles at Pfizer, Allergan, DuPont Pharma and J&J.

Mr. De Leyva holds an M.Sc. Degree in Civil Engineering from the Engineering School of Madrid and an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he was a Fullbright Scholar specialised in Finance and Accounting. He has developed his career in top-level companies such as Unión Fenosa (1983-1986) and McKinsey & Company (1986-2006), in various executive positions and countries (including the UK and US), and is currently one of the founding partners of Magnum Industrial Partners, a leading Iberian private equity firm which has launched three funds to the market with c. €1.5 bn of committed capital. He also belongs to the Boards of Directors of Indra as well as several portfolio companies of the Magnum Funds. He has been Chairman or Director of companies in the Education, Energy, Industry, Health Care, B2B Services, and Telecommunications industries.

Ms. Eva-Lotta Coulter holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Jakobsbergskolan (Stockholm) and Microbiology from the Laboratory School University (Stockholm), and a Master Certificate in Marketing from the Institute for Higher Marketing Business School (Stockholm). Ms. Coulter is also non-executive director of Aleta Biotherapeutics and Crescendo Biologics, Chairman and member of the Nomination Committee at C4X Discovery and non-executive director and member of the Corporate Governance Committee and the R&D Subcommittee at Targovax ASA.

Master of Science (University of Utrecht, The Netherlands) and PhD in Immunology (University of Leiden, The Netherlands). Dr. Dobber was appointed in January 2019 Executive Vice-President, BioPharmaceuticals Business in AstraZeneca and is responsible for product strategy and commercial delivery for Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism (CVRM) and Respiratory & Immunology. Prior to this, Dr. Dobber held several executive roles at AstraZeneca, among others President at AstraZeneca US and Executive Vice-President North America, Executive Vice-President Europe, Regional Vice-President Europe, Middle East and Africa, Regional Vice-President Asia Pacific or Area Vice-President Europe 1. In addition, Dr. Dobber was a member of the Board and Executive Committee of EFPIA and Chairman of the Asia division of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Daniel Ignacio Ripley Soria holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB) by ICAI-ICADE, Spain, and a Dual Degree in Economics and Business. In 1998, he passed the Public Competitive Examination to join the Legal State Corps. A practicing lawyer registered with the Bar Association of Barcelona; he served as State Attorney in the State’s General Administration court before joining the law firm of Uría Menéndez in 2003 where he became a partner just two years later in 2005. His expertise is Public Law: he advises companies and public entities regarding licensing, public goods and services or public procurement; and commercial law in stock market, corporate commercial law and real state or infrastructure operations. Ripley is a member of the International Bar Association and the State Attorneys Association. He was also a teacher in ESADE, the Fiscal Studies Institute in Barcelona, and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, where he currently teaches civil law since 2002.