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The Royal Society of Biology (RSB) has appointed Julia Goodfellow as president, succeeding Jean Thomas. Goodfellow is currently vc of the University of Kent and president of Universities UK. She will take up the RSB position in May 2018, following her retirement from the University of Kent.

Biopharmaceticals Kymab has appointed Sonia Quaratino as its first CMO. Immunologist Quaratino, formerly of Novartis, will manage the clinical development of the group's therapeutic antibody portfolio. She has over 20 years’ experience in biomedical research in UK academic institutions, including Imperial College London and the University of Southampton.

John McGagh, CDO at renewable energy supplier Snowy Hydro, is the new president of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). McGagh has extensive experience in chemical engineering, as well as roles in the commercial sector, business and strategy, global procurement, and R&D.

DuPont and Dow Chemical have announced the members of the board for the proposed merger of the two companies. The DowDuPont board will consist of 16 directors. From Dow: Andrew N. Liveris, chairman and CEO, Dow; Jeff M. Fettig, chairman and CEO, Whirlpool; James A. Bell, former CFO, Boeing; Raymond J. Milchovich, former chairman and CEO, Foster Wheeler; Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever; Dennis H. Reilley, non-executive chairman, Marathon Oil; James M. Ringler, chairman, Teradata; Ruth G. Shaw, former group executive, public policy and president, Duke Nuclear. From DuPont: Edward D. Breen, chair and CEO, DuPont; Alexander (Sandy) M. Cutler, former chairman & CEO, Eaton; Lamberto Andreotti, former chair of the board and CEO, Bristol-Myers Squibb; Robert A. Brown, president of Boston University; James L. Gallogly, former chairman of the management board and CEO, LyondellBasell Industries; Marillyn A. Hewson, chairman, president, and CEO, Lockheed Martin; Lois D. Juliber, former VC and COO, Colgate-Palmolive; Lee M. Thomas, former chairman and CEO, Rayonier.

GW Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform, has appointed Volker Knappertz as CMO. He will report to GW’s CEO Justin Gover and be based in the company’s US headquarters in Carlsbad, California. In addition, GW has appointed Ben Whalley as head of discovery research, based in the UK. Whalley, formerly professor of neuropharmacology at the University of Reading, UK, is a leading authority on the effects of cannabinoids in the central nervous system.

UK diagnostics Owlstone Medical, which is developing a breathalyser for disease, has appointed Bruce Ponder to its newly established scientific advisory board. He is emeritus professor of oncology at the University of Cambridge, UK, and was the inaugural director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute (CRUKCI).

Patrick Thomas has confirmed he will retire as CEO of Covestro in September 2018 when he completes his contract. The supervisory board of Covestro, in preparation, has announced Thomas will be followed by Markus Steilemann, currently CCO and member the board of management since 2015.

Speciality chemicals company Evonik, has announced that Klaus Engel has stepped down as CEO and chairman of the board. He is replaced by current CSO and deputy chairman Christian Kullmann.

Recipharm, the Sweden-headquartered contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has appointed Shabbir Mostafa as director, business management UK & Ireland.

The UK’s North-East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) has appointed Iain Wright as its new CEO. He replaces Stan Higgins, who is retiring. Together with chairman Ian Swales and the board of directors, Wright will focus on representing member firms, championing the region’s process industries and identifying growth opportunities.

The Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC), headquartered in Bradford UK, has announced the appointment of Philip Yeung Kwok-wing as its new president. Yeung celebrated 50 years of membership of the SDC in 2017 and is an active member of SDC’s Hong Kong region, which was established in 1972 and has the highest number of chartered colourists outside the UK.

UK-based Quotient Clinical, the drug development services provider, has appointed Azhar Kalim as CCO. Kalim will lead the commercial team to further develop its global commercial footprint following two recent US acquisitions, SeaView Research and QS Pharma.

The Nordic life sciences investment company Karolinska Development has elected Niclas Adler as chairman, and Hans-Olov Olsson, Anders Härfstrand and Magnus Persson as members of the board of directors, and re-elected Tse Ping, Vlad Artamonov and Hans Wigzell to the board.

Jerusalem-headquartered Gamida Cell, which focuses on cellular and immune therapies for treating blood cancers and rare genetic diseases such as sickle cell disease, has appointed the 2006 Nobel chemistry laureate Roger Kornberg and recently retired Novartis executive Michael Perry to its board of directors. Kornberg won the Nobel Prize for his studies of the molecular basis of transcription; Perry has an R&D background in cell and gene therapy and experience of guiding private and publicly traded companies.

University of Warwick spin-out, Medherant, which develops transdermal drug delivery patch technology, has appointed Sheryl Caswell as head of clinical development. Caswell joins the company as it prepares to start clinical studies with its first product, an ibuprofen patch.