CureVac N.V., a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), has appointed Dr. Malte Greune as chief operating officer (COO) effective July 1, 2021.
 
In this position, Greune will strengthen the company’s Management Board and will head, among others, CureVac’s clinical and commercial manufacturing activities. Greune joins CureVac with extensive experience in the global pharmaceutical industry, including manufacturing of vaccines and fill & finish of biologics.
 
CureVac also announced that Dr. Florian von der Mülbe, co-founder and chief production officer, will now focus his extensive production expertise exclusively on the expansion and accelerated development of The RNA Printer, CureVac’s solution for mobile, autonomous and fully automated manufacturing of GMP-grade RNA vaccines and therapeutics. To drive this key strategic project forward, which requires building its own operational infrastructure, von der Mülbe will resign from the Management Board of CureVac N.V. Greune will assume von der Mülbe’s position on the Management Board.
 
“On behalf of the Supervisory Board I would like to welcome Dr. Greune to the Management Board. Dr. Greune is a recognized expert in the global pharmaceutical industry with many years of experience in various management positions. His appointment is a great asset for CureVac as the company continues to grow, further expanding its one-stop shop strategy for RNA-based vaccines and therapeutics with strong manufacturing capabilities,” said Jean St phenne, chairman of the Supervisory Board of CureVac. “I would like to thank Dr. von der Mülbe for his service on the CureVac Management Board. As a co-founder of CureVac, he has played a key role in building the company and establishing its strong manufacturing expertise that he will now transition to ensure The RNA Printer becomes another key growth driver for the company.”
 
About Dr. Greune
 
Greune joins CureVac from Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH where he held various management positions for almost ten years. As general manager and vice president Cartridges, Devices & Insulin Technology Group, he was responsible for several manufacturing sites in Frankfurt. Under his leadership, six isolator filling lines for insulins, oncology drugs and biologics were set up including one for a COVID-19 vaccine.
 
Prior to his position as head of Diabetes, Oncology and Devices at Sanofi, he worked as senior vice president of Animal Health Manufacturing for the Merck Manufacturing Division, USA, where he led an international network of 28 sites – including 18 integrated vaccine sites. Furthermore, he held various leadership roles at the pharmaceutical companies Schering-Plough and Intervet International B.V.. Greune started his career at Hoechst AG in Corporate Planning.
 
Greune received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cologne, Germany, graduated from the University of Trier, Germany, and completed a Master of Business Administration at Clark University in Worcester, USA.
 
“Dr. Greune has a broad range of expertise in the international pharmaceutical sector which will benefit CureVac’s growth even further,” commented Dr. Franz-Werner Haas, chief executive officer of CureVac. “We are confident that his outstanding experience will support us in accelerating our development from a science-driven to a commercial pharmaceutical company. I would like to thank Dr. Florian von der Mülbe for combining founder s mindset with a growing commercialized company which he will continue to provide by the accelerated development of The RNA Printer.”
 
“It is a great pleasure to join CureVac at such an exciting phase of corporate transformation that centers on a diversified RNA-based product pipeline across different indications,” Greune said. “This technology is just starting to change today’s medicine. I am looking forward to taking on this important task with the goal of bringing multiple mRNA drugs to market which may improve human health worldwide.”