Bavarian Nordic A/S announced the appointment of Russell Thirsk as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective from April 1, 2022. Mr. Thirsk will take over this position from Henrik Birk, who has decided to seek new challenges outside Bavarian Nordic. The timing allows a period of handover from Henrik Birk to ensure a smooth transition.

Mr. Thirsk joins Bavarian Nordic from GSK, where he has served as Head of Operations at GSK Vaccines in Belgium since 2016, a role he assumed after GSK's acquisition of Novartis' vaccine business, where he served for more than two decades, holding leadership roles of increasing responsibility in vaccine manufacturing operations across various geographies. Mr. Thirsk holds a Master of Chemical Engineering from University of Nottingham.