When the Swiss-born and transatlantic-bred Dr Athos Gianella-Borradori took up his new role as Chugai Pharma USA's chief medical officer in April, an international perspective was vital. So he took for his inspiration Carlos Goshn, the French-Lebanese-Brazilian businessman famous for turning round the Japanese car maker Nissan. As one of the first non-Japanese CEOs of a very traditional Japanese company, Goshn was the perfect role model in a job that would demand high levels of cultural awareness.

UK stem cell therapy company ReNeuron has appointed Olav Hellebø CEO with immediate effect. Mr Hellebø most recently served as CEO of Clavis Pharma. Prior to that, he headed up the global biologics franchise at UCB Pharma. Michael Hunt, ReNeuron's CEO since 2005, will remain on the board as CFO.

Privately held cancer drug developer Nordic Nanovector – a spin-out company from the same founders who built Xofigo creator Algeta – is raising NOK150m ($25m) through a private placement of shares in order to progress development of its early-stage-blood cancer radio-immunotherapy, Betalutin. The CEO told Scrip that if all goes well, the company hopes to find a strategic partner and launch an IPO next year. However, there is a lot still to prove.

Chugai Pharma USA (CPUSA) a wholly owned subsidiary of Chugai Pharmaceutical, a Tokyo, Japan-based member of the Roche Group, has named Dr Athos Gianella-Borradori chief medical officer, CPUSA. Dr Gianella-Borradori has more than 20 years' experience in international drug research. His prior roles include senior positions in research and development at Novartis (Switzerland), Crucell (The Netherlands), Bavarian Nordic (Germany), Cyclacel (United Kingdom), Merck Serono (Switzerland) and Clavis Pharma (Norway).