IRVINE, Calif.--(October 19, 2011)-- VIROPRO (VPRO.PK)today announced the appointment of Ms. Cynthia Ekberg Tsai as the Chairperson of its Board of Directors to further support Viropro’s plans and strategy for global growth.
Ms. Tsai will provide Viropro with her expertise in private equity financing and development of high-growth companies by securing private capitalization from high-net worth investors. Ms. Tsai spent 16 years on Wall Street as a Vice President with Merrill Lynch and Kidder Peabody. She has been involved in venture funding, IPOs, and investor relations specifically in the healthcare space. Ms. Tsai is the Founder and CEO of HealthExpo, the largest consumer healthcare event in the US, where she grew the enterprise from concept to execution, attracting more than 50 million consumers to HealthExpo. Previously, Ms. Tsai was a General Partner in MassTech Ventures, a multi-million dollar equity fund focused on technology development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Ms. Tsai serves on the Board of Selectors for the Jefferson Awards, is a Member of the Women's Foreign Policy Group, a member of the Asia Society, and an Advisor to Avjet Biotech.  In 1999, the Harvard Business School Alumni Chapter in New York recognized Tsai with an Early Stage Honor Roll Award for Entrepreneurship.  In 2004, she also received a “Leading Woman Entrepreneur of the World” Award from the Star Foundation in Overland Park, Kansas. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Missouri.
According to Dr. Rajiv Datar, President and CEO of Viropro, “Recognizing the dynamic growth of the biotech contract research space, which includes contract development and manufacturing activities, Cynthia Tsai is a valuable resource for the current and future development of Viropro. Her financial expertise and healthcare experience and successes will be invaluable in advising, assessing, and accelerating Viropro’s growth.”
Ms. Tsai commented, “Joining Viropro in the capacity of a Chairperson is an honor and a wonderful opportunity to advance the biotech contract research and manufacturing (CRAMS) space as a whole. Work in healthcare, specifically in the biotech CRAMS space, provides a unique opportunity with a noble underpinning in terms of cost, scientific and technological development, and job creation. I am pleased to be joining Viropro on this mission.”