HOUSTON, Aug. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Diversigen, Inc., today announced the appointment of Dr. George Gunn to the company's Board of Directors. Dr. Gunn is renowned for his successful leadership and contributions to the global animal health and pharmaceutical industries. Until January 2015, Dr. Gunn was Division Head of Novartis Animal Health and a member of the Novartis Executive Committee.
Dr. Joseph Petrosino, Chief Science Officer of Diversigen, said, "Our entire organization is looking forward to the strategic perspective Dr. Gunn brings to the company. His vast industry knowledge and global operations experience will help us expand our microbiome-related solutions in important ways to better serve our customers and to improve both human and animal health."
Dr. Gunn joined Novartis in 2003 as Head of Novartis Animal Health, North America and became global head of the Animal Health Business Unit in 2004. He served as Division Head, Novartis Consumer Health, from 2008 to 2011 and as Head of Corporate Social Responsibility from 2011 to 2014.
Before joining Novartis, Dr. Gunn was president of U.S. based Pharmacia Animal Health. Prior to that he spent 15 years working for Johnson and Johnson in a succession of healthcare executive roles.
Dr. F. John Mills, Diversigen board member, noted that "Our board now has a full complement of expertise in important areas impacted by microbiome research: human and veterinary medicine, consumer health and diagnostics."
Dr. Gunn graduated with a bachelor of veterinary medicine and surgery from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in the United Kingdom in 1973 and received a diploma in veterinary state medicine from the same school in 1978. In 2008, he received an honorary doctorate in veterinary medicine and surgery from the University of Edinburgh where he was appointed Regent. He practiced for nine years as a veterinary surgeon. Dr. Gunn is past Chairman of the UK National Office of Animal Health and past Chairman of the International Federation of Animal Health.
Dr. Gunn founded Stonehaven Consulting AG, an industry consulting firm in which he remains active. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Philbro Animal Health Corporation, Pharmaq AS, and as Chairman of the Board at Nexvet Biopharma Pty Ltd.
About Diversigen:
Diversigen provides comprehensive microbiome and metagenomic services, including customized and complex data analysis, focused on solutions to improve human and animal health, environmental conditions, and agriculture production worldwide. The company is a BCM Technologies, Inc. portfolio company. Building on research conducted at the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research at Baylor College of Medicine, Diversigen has years of experience, flexible sequencing and bioinformatics capacity with highly diverse microbiome sample types. For more information, visit www.diversigen.com.
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SOURCE Diversigen, Inc.
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