Kosan Biosciences (KOSN)

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Kosan's Board of Directors Appoints Helen S. Kim as Chief Executive Officer
Tuesday March 18, 4:00 pm ET

HAYWARD, Calif., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kosan Biosciences Incorporated (Nasdaq: KOSN - News) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Helen S. Kim as Chief Executive Officer, effectively immediately. Ms. Kim joined Kosan in January 2008 as Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer, and was appointed President in late February.

Peter Davis, PhD., Kosan's Chairman of the Board, commented: "We believe that Helen possesses the breadth of business management and commercial experience, demonstrated leadership and commitment to Kosan to ensure that our company can operate at the highest levels of efficiency, productivity and teamwork and advance our key products toward the market. Helen has the full support of the Board and the senior management team, and we are confident that under her direction, Kosan can realize its potential as a product-focused, market-driven organization."

In addition to her extensive experience in business and corporate development, Ms. Kim's biotechnology expertise also includes corporate finance and strategic marketing.

Ms. Kim's industry credentials include senior positions at Affymax, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Protein Design Labs and Chiron Corporation. At Affymax, she served as Chief Business Officer where she created and implemented a new business model and was responsible for portfolio prioritization, licensing and capital formation. At Onyx, Ms. Kim established and managed corporate collaborations and had oversight for project management, strategic marketing and investor relations. At Protein Design Labs, she originated the company's marketing and research and development project management functions and was responsible for strategic marketing. At Chiron, she led the global strategic marketing function for Chiron's therapeutics and vaccines businesses including new product launches and established multiple external collaborations including licensing, co-development and joint venture transactions. Ms. Kim most recently served as Chief Program Officer for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation where she successfully developed initiatives to transform healthcare delivery practices in acute care hospitals. Ms. Kim received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.