BioPharmX Appoints Marie-Louise Bots as Senior VP
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MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran corporate dealmaker Marie-Louise Bots has joined BioPharmX Corporation (NYSE MKT: BPMX) as senior vice president of corporate development where she will help steer the company's licensing and strategic partnerships worldwide. Bots joins BioPharmX from Aon Risk Solutions where she most recently served as its chief commercial officer.
She previously served as the head of the global skincare business of Royal Philips Electronics NV, where she oversaw partnership development, acquisitions and led a joint venture project with a U.S. manufacturer of aesthetic skin resurfacing devices. The collaboration led to the industry's first consumer laser skincare device. She oversaw joint ventures with various startup companies and was responsible for U.S. dermatology licensing. She also created the Philips research and development initiative that produced the intense pulse light (IPL) hair removal device sold worldwide today.
While at Philips, she also served as general manager of oral healthcare in EMEA, manufacturer of the Philips Sonicare toothbrush systems, and collaborated in the first ever launch of an integrated toothbrush with Procter & Gamble. Throughout her tenure she managed numerous alliance and partnership programs garnering significant growth for the company.
She was vice president of international business development at Altadis USA, the world's leading maker of cigars and a global leader in tobacco products. She increased global sales by nearly 80 percent, oversaw contract manufacturing and architected the conversion of multiple geographical divisions to corporate subsidiaries.
In addition, as managing director of Reed/Elsevier Business Information, she restructured the Dutch business operations creating sustainable business models in publishing to energize its marketing and sales whilst increasing profitability.
"I've developed a specialty in using licenses, partnerships and acquisitions to accelerate sales, reduce costs, extend product reach and improve profitability," said Bots. "I'm excited to apply my experience at a company like BioPharmX, which embraces innovation, to help it fulfill the unmet medical needs of patients around the world."
Her success in accelerating the growth of several businesses and transforming their operations led to her being recognized in 2009 as a "CEO of the Future" by Dutch business magazine "Management Team."
"Our embrace of innovation -- both in terms of R&D and business development -- has attracted top-quality executive talent," said Anja Krammer, president and cofounder of BioPharmX. "We are excited to add a highly experienced executive of Marie-Louise's caliber to our team."
Bots has a degree in Economics from Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and she has studied at Erasmus University in Rotterdam and Babson College in Boston.
She is a native Dutch speaker, and is fluent in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian.
In connection with her appointment as senior vice president of corporate development, the compensation committee of BioPharmX Corporation's board of directors awarded Bots a non-qualified stock option to purchase 200,000 shares of BioPharmX Corporation's common stock at an exercise price of $1.55. Her stock option will vest at the rate of 25% of the shares on (i) the first anniversary of the commencement of Bots' employment with the company, and then one forty-eighth (1/48) of the shares monthly thereafter, subject to Bots' continued service with BioPharmX. The stock option was granted as an inducement material to Bots' employment in accordance with Section 711(a) of the NYSE MKT Company Guide.