Deborah Dunsire, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Biography: Deborah Dunsire is an industry leader who brings more than 25 years of scientific, clinical, operational, and commercial experience, and proven leadership in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Prior to joining FORUM Pharmaceuticals in 2013, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., now Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, from 2005 to 2013. During that period, she transformed the company into a biotechnology industry leader by focusing R&D, driving the development pipeline, fostering a culture of employee engagement, increasing the commercial mind-set across the organization, and crafting highly effective partnerships to drive the company’s growth. Millennium was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in 2008 for $8.8 billion, one of the largest biotech acquisitions at that time.
Deborah was the first woman appointed to the board of Takeda Pharmaceuticals Limited in Japan. Prior to this, Deborah led the Novartis Oncology Business in North America, playing a critical role in the broad development and successful launch of a number of products, increasing revenues from $50 million to more than $2.2 billion.
Currently, Deborah is a board member of Allergan, Inc., and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). She is a trustee of the Museum of Science (Boston) and a member of the Massachusetts General Hospital Research Advisory Council. She has received numerous awards, including the 2001 American Cancer Society Excalibur Award, the 2009 Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s “Woman of the Year,” the 2011 MassBIO Innovator Award, and the 2013 Boston CEO Conference Lifetime Achievement Award.
Education: Deborah received her medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.