IAVI Appoints Margaret McGlynn President & Chief Executive Officer

NEW YORK, July 7, 2011—The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Margaret (Margie) McGlynn as President and Chief Executive Officer. McGlynn, who has been a member of the IAVI Board of Directors since July 2010, replaces Seth Berkley, IAVI’s Founding President and CEO. She will work with the Board of Directors to provide the vision and leadership to guide IAVI, and will lead its Senior Management Team in overseeing the organization’s global operations, programs and partnerships, while ensuring its financial stability. As IAVI’s leader, McGlynn will be responsible for fostering an environment within IAVI that promotes innovation and flexibility and encourages collaboration with partners, while maintaining a strong commitment to engaging researchers, governments and communities in those countries hardest hit by the pandemic. As President and CEO, McGlynn will serve as an ex-officio member of IAVI’s Board of Directors.

“IAVI’s Board believes Margie is uniquely suited to lead the organization,” said Board Chairman Paul Klingenstein. “As former President of Global Vaccines and Anti-infectives at Merck, Margie has a wealth of experience in both the vaccine industry and the HIV field, a deep understanding of global health, public policy and development issues, and strong business acumen.”

As head of Merck’s vaccines and infectious diseases business, McGlynn was responsible for a US$ 7 billion portfolio of products and oversaw the launch of several important new vaccines and anti-infective agents. Among them was Gardasil, the first vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer, and Isentress, the first integrase inhibitor marketed to treat HIV. During her 26-year-long tenure at Merck, McGlynn helped launch several initiatives to provide people in developing countries access to Merck’s vaccines and antiretroviral medications. She also played a significant role in the formation of the MSD-Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories, a partnership between Merck and the Wellcome Trust that established a research center in India to develop vaccines for the developing world. 

“I have long been passionate about ensuring that people in the developing world can access life-saving medicines and vaccines, and I am delighted that, in my new role as CEO of IAVI, I will be able to contribute to advancing the search for an effective AIDS vaccine that one day will be available to all of those who need it,” said McGlynn. “I am excited to lead IAVI and work with our partners to build upon the current renaissance in AIDS vaccine research. I look forward to working closely with the Board and senior leadership team to guide IAVI on its mission.”

Today, McGlynn serves as a board member for several nonprofit and private sector entities. She served on the board and executive committee of the GAVI Alliance, an organization that increases access to immunizations against common infectious diseases throughout the developing world, and she was one of 25 commissioners recruited by the Center for Strategic and International Studies for its Commission on Smart Global Health Policy, which issued in 2010 a report advising the Obama administration and Congress on a long-term, strategic approach to U.S. global health efforts. Since retiring from Merck, McGlynn has been working to support research on potential new therapies for a rare genetic disease that affected her family.

“Margie has the right combination of passion, experience and technical understanding to lead IAVI into its next phase,” said IAVI Founder Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance. “I am confident that IAVI will continue to make a major impact as it pursues its goal of ensuring the development of an AIDS vaccine, and I am secure in the knowledge that I am handing over the reins to an individual as capable and experienced as Margie. I look forward to seeing great things happen at IAVI in the coming years.”
McGlynn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy and an MBA in Marketing, both from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

About IAVI 
The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is a global not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world.  Founded in 1996, IAVI works with partners in 25 countries to research, design and develop AIDS vaccine candidates.  In addition, IAVI conducts policy analyses and serves as an advocate for the AIDS vaccine field.  IAVI supports a comprehensive approach to addressing HIV and AIDS that balances the expansion and strengthening of existing HIV-prevention and treatment programs with targeted investments in the design and development of new tools to prevent HIV. IAVI is dedicated to ensuring that a future AIDS vaccine will be available and accessible to all who need it. IAVI relies on the generous donations from governments, private individuals, corporations and foundations to carry out its mission.  For more information, see www.iavi.org.

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Contact:
Sara Levy
slevy@iavi.org
(212) 328-7415

Lauren Wesolowski
lwesolowski@iavi.org
(212) 328-7420