• Milestones
• Management Team
• Board of Directors
• Scientific Advisors
• Operations
• Investor Relations
• Job Opportunities
• Press Lounge
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Distributors

Our Board of Directors is responsible for our corporate governance and ultimately accountable for our activities, strategy and performance.

The Board consists of one Executive Director and five Non-executive Directors.
Jørgen Thorball, Non-executive Chairman
Peter Benson, Non-executive Director
Mads Kjær, Non-executive Director
Poul Anderson, Non-executive Director
Jesper Eugen-Olsen, Executive Director
Niels Engelhard Nielsen, Non-executive Director

 

 

Jørgen Thorball, Non-executive Chairman

Born 1962.

Jørgen Thorball founded ViroGates with Jesper Eugen-Olsen and Peter Benson in 2001 and was appointed chairman of the board that same year.

Over the past years Jørgen Thorball held the position of Vice President of Business Development at Novozymes (2001-2007) and currently operates as corporate strategic advisor to Novozymes. He has his own business development company, Medico Care, since 1985, through which he holds various other chairman and board positions (including iMotions, Vivolution, Lina Medical and C4-world) and lectures in innovation and leadership at a number of MBA schools and international seminars.

Prior to joining Novozymes, Jørgen Thorball was Director and Founder of BioGaia HealthCare, Sweden (1997) and Business Development Manager at Rhône-Poulenc Rorer (Sanofi-Aventis) for Denmark and Iceland (1996). His career started as Product Manager at Kabi Pharmacia (Fresenius Kabi), Denmark (1990) and he quickly rose to senior positions such as International Product Manager, International Marketing and Corporate Strategic Associate within the Pharmacia Corporation (Pfizer).

In addition, Jørgen Thorball is inventor and patent-owner of several medical applications and various clinical delivery systems. He is founder of the BiotechBuilders network and co-founder of the Danish Innovation Council and Gazelle Growth, a Danish-American entrepreneur coaching association.

Jørgen Thorball holds an MD from Copenhagen University Hospital (1990).

 

Peter Benson, Non-executive Director

Born 1955.

Peter Benson is founder of ViroGates and assumed his role as Director in 2001.

Peter is Head of Vækstfonden Life Science Ventures – now Sunstone Capital – and President of Due Mila AB – a company that engages in the creation and development of innovative business organizations (1996- ). Prior to joining Vækstfonden, he served as President and CEO of Optovent AB (2000), and has held several senior executive positions such as Senior Executive Vice President of Kabi Pharmacia Parenterals, President of Pharmacia Hospital Care and Member of the Corporate Management Group at Pharmacia (1988-1996).

Peter Benson has been a member of various boards including PfrimmerNutricia GmbH Germany (1993-95), SinoSwed Pharmaceutical Corporation China (1990-96), Ortivus AB (1998-2002), BioGaia AB (1999-2003) and Cellavision AB (1997-2004).

He holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Lund (1978), an MA in Economics from the University of California (1980), and a Management Diploma from IMD Lausanne in Switzerland (1991).

 

Poul Andersson, Non-executive Director

Born 1946.

Poul Andersson is investor in ViroGates and assumed his role as Director in 2003.

Poul Andersson is CEO of Bioneer A/S and BioVision A/S. Prior to joining Bioneer, he was Manager, Applied Molecular Biology sector and later Business Development Manager at the Danish Institute of Biotechnology (1985-present) after having started his career at the Fibiger Laboratory (1978).

He holds an MD from the University of Copenhagen (1973), candidate and senior scholarships from both the University of Copenhagen (1973-1976) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1976-1978).

 

Mads Kjær, Non-Executive Director

Born 1961.

Mads Kjær is investor in ViroGates through his family holding company, The Way Forward Aps and assumed his role as Director in 2005.

Mads Kjær is chairman and majority owner of Kjaer Group A/S, the Danish parent company to an international group of automotive companies providing transportation solutions to emerging countries. Kjaer Group is a member of the UN Global Compact.

Mads Kjær is personally involved with and dedicated to establishing and improving awareness of the United Nation’s 2015 Millennium Development Goals, and today he is CEO of a new venture company C4-world A/S, which will provide a new global innovative internet platform for investments in Africa with a focus on connecting people and strong social networking.

 

Jesper Eugen-Olsen, Chief Scientific Officer, Executive Director

Born 1963.

Jesper Eugen-Olsen is founder and Executive Director of the board since 2001. His research and invention led to the establishment of ViroGates.

Jesper Eugen-Olsen is Chief Scientific Officer of ViroGates and Laboratory Research Director of the Clinical Research Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark (1998- ). Prior to his current position at Hvidovre Hospital, he served as Research Associate at the Department of Infectious Medicine (1995-97) and as Principal Investigator at the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Hvidovre Hospital (1997-98). 

He is a member of various scientific committees on e.g. XII and XIII International AIDS Conferences in Geneva and South Africa and the author and co-author of more than 50 scientific peer reviewed publications and holds 11 patents.

Jesper Eugen-Olsen holds a M.Sc. in Biochemistry from the Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Copenhagen (1994) and a PhD in HIV prognostics from the University of Copenhagen (2003).

 

Niels Engelhard Nielsen, Non-Executive Director

Born 1966.

Niels Engelhard Nielsen has worked as Consultant with the Danish Invention Centre at the Danish Technological Institute specialized in Licensing and commercialization of early stage technology (1995-). Besides Licensing, he has been working as Business Advisor of start-ups and as Board Member of several High-Tech companies since 1998. 

Niels Engelhard Nielsen is also a member of the board of Young Enterprise Region Storkøbenhavn (Greater area of Copenhagen).

He holds a Master of Agronomy from the University of Copenhagen (1987-1995).