Astellas Pharma EMEA announces new senior appointment

Astellas Pharma EMEA, the regional headquarters of Astellas Pharma Inc. for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has appointed Jun Kono, as Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Communications.
Kono takes on leadership of Astellas Pharma EMEA's Corporate Strategy and Communications and will be responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the Company's mid-term plan, product portfolio and commercial operations. He will also lead development of Astellas' growing profile in the EMEA region, building the Company's corporate brand through communications targeting a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. In addition, Jun will be responsible for planning and directing Astellas Pharma EMEA's programme of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
 
He was appointed to a strategic planning role at Yamanouchi in 2003, where he was a key member of the merger-integration project to form Astellas in 2005. Since then he has expanded his expertise in corporate strategy and business development, through his engagement in projects for corporate vision, company acquisition and in/out licensing of various assets. His most recent role as Vice President: Head of Executive Office at the Company's Tokyo headquarters focused on corporate senior global management, including work with senior leaders to enhance operational performance thorough cross-functional collaboration. He has worked both in Japan and the UK, and between 2006 and 2010 was Associate Director, Strategic Planning for the EMEA region.
 
He received a Master of Business Administration (Hons.) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. 
 
Astellas is the second largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and among the top 20 globally. It is growing strongly in the EMEA region, with an 8.1% rise in sales to €1,967 million in FY2013. The Company's rigorous prioritisation of research and development (R&D) to produce innovative medicines that provide new standards of care for patients and their doctors, has seen a range of therapies recently launched in the region, including new classes of treatment for advanced prostate cancer, overactive bladder and the hospital-acquired infection, Clostridium difficile.