Little Green Pharma Ltd (ASX: LGP) has appointed Ms. Beatriz Vicén Banzo as non-executive director, effective immediately.
With a decorated career as an expert in regulatory affairs for European pharmaceutical companies, Ms. Vicén Banzo joins LGP having served as Director of Public Affairs and Quality for Bayer in Spain – the Spanish division of the global pharmaceutical leader – since August 2011.
In her senior position at Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Spain, she has been responsible for quality assurance, regulatory affairs, pricing and market access across the business’s divisions, which consist of pharmaceuticals, consumer health, and radiology and intervention.
Prior to working at Bayer Ms. Vicén Banzo held the position of Head of Regulatory Affairs and Permanent Executive Committee Guest at global healthcare company Novartis Pharmaceutical Company for almost a decade, and prior to that held the position of Regulatory Affairs Expert at Ciba-Geigy, a large Swiss-based pharmaceutical and chemicals group that merged with Sandoz to become Novartis.
I am very excited to welcome Beatriz to the leadership team at Little Green Pharma. Her experience in international pharmaceutical management and regulation is unmatched and will no doubt be a major asset to the company as we continue to expand,” Little Green Pharma CEO, Fleta Solomon, said.
“In particular, she has detailed knowledge of the development requirements for products in European and international markets, as well as experience executing strategies to build leadership positions in the pharmaceutical industry, highlighted by her time at multinational company Bayer.
“Little Green Pharma continues to make a difference to the lives of patients across the globe and it is only fitting that our Board reflects the increasingly international focus of the Company. I look forward to working closely with Beatriz as Little Green Pharma continues to accelerate its activities in the medicinal cannabis industry.”
Ms. Vicén Banzo holds a Degree in Pharmacy as well as an MBA from the University of Barcelona. She also possesses a Master in European Regulatory Procedures from the Autonomous University of Barcelona as well as an additional MBA from the globally renowned ESADE Business School.
She has been a lecturer for the Masters programme at Madrid-based Professional College Talento Farmacéutico since 2015 and is fluent in four languages.
The appointment coincides with LGP’s expansion of its operations throughout Europe, following its acquisition and integration of a large manufacturing facility based in Denmark in 2021.
Subsequent to that acquisition, LGP has executed supply agreements with distributors in countries such as Germany, Portugal and the UK, as well as being awarded a government medicinal cannabis flower tender for Italy.
The appointment also aligns with recent encouraging interest by the Spanish Government in the prescription of medicinal cannabis for certain illnesses. The Spanish market represents an emerging opportunity for Little Green Pharma, with a large population estimated at just under 50 million people and an increasing interest in medicinal cannabis.
LGP anticipates increased European and international interest in its cannabis medicines as the company contains to establish a greater foothold and the wider European market continues to mature.