Jean-Jacques Bienaimé to Retire from BioMarin, Alexander Hardy Named President and CEO

Rare Daily Staff

Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, the CEO of BioMarin Pharmaceutical for the past 18 years, is retiring as chairman and CEO effective December 1, 2023.

The rare disease focused biotech has named Alexander Hardy to succeed Bienaimé as president and CEO. Hardy, currently the CEO of Genentech, will also serve as a director on BioMarin’s board of directors. Richard A. Meier, BioMarin’s lead independent director, will assume the role of chair of the board of directors.

Bienaimé joined BioMarin in May 2005, when the company had a single marketed product and approximately $26 million in annual revenues. Under his leadership, BioMarin has grown significantly and is expected to reach annual revenues of well more than $2 billion in 2023, driven by the company’s globally leading enzyme replacement therapy business, and the recent introductions of Voxzogo for achondroplasia and Roctavian, the world’s first gene therapy for hemophilia A. During his tenure Bienaimé led a major expansion of BioMarin’s workforce, from about 300 employees only in the United States when he joined the company to more than 3,000 people in almost 80 countries around the world today.

“It has been a privilege leading BioMarin’s exceptionally talented team over the past 18 years, as we’ve worked together to deliver medicines that have transformed care for people with genetic diseases, building BioMarin into the successful company it is today,” said Bienaimé. “Alexander brings an impressive track record of successfully commercializing new products for patients and prioritizing operational efficiency. I look forward to working with Alexander as he takes on this new role.”

Hardy, 55, brings more than 30 years of experience in the global healthcare and biotechnology industries, most recently serving as CEO of Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. He has served as CEO since 2019 and during his tenure demonstrated the ability to deliver growth during a particularly challenging period in which the company lost exclusivity of three of its biggest products. In this most recent role at Genentech, the organization has launched more than 10 new medicines and achieved leading positions across oncology, neuroscience, hemophilia, and ophthalmology.

Bienaimé will remain a member of BioMarin’s board of directors until the company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and he will serve as an advisor to the company through the end of 2024.

Photo: Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, chairman and CEO of BioMarin Pharmaceutical