Acrux's management team have extensive experience in the development and commercialisation of pharmaceutical products in the global marketplace.
Michael Kotsanis, appointed November 2014 , BSc, Grad Dip Bus, MBus
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer
Michael has more than 30 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical industry including significant senior leadership experience. He was formerly the Chief Commercial Officer and a Board Member of Synthon Holding BV, a Dutch based pharmaceutical company with global revenue over EUR250 million. He has served as President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, for Hospira and where he was responsible for delivering over US$500 million in annual revenue. Hospira was the global leader in generic injectable pharmaceuticals prior to its acquisition by Pfizer. Michael joined Hospira following its acquisition of Mayne Pharma in 2007, where he had served as President, Asia Pacific. He joined Mayne following their acquisition of FH Faulding in 2001, where he led the commercial activities in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to Faulding, Michael held a variety of sales and marketing positions with a German multinational pharmaceutical company over an 11 year period.
Michael earned a Bachelor of Science from Monash University, Melbourne, a Graduate Diploma in Business from Edith Cowan University, Perth and a Master of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney. Michael is a former Non-executive Director of IDT Australia Limited (ASX: IDT).
Felicia Colagrande , BSc (Hons), MBA
Product Development and Technical Affairs Director since February 2015
Felicia has a broad background in pharmaceutical operations, topical drug development, analytical development and production. Felicia leads and facilitates all technical aspects of pharmaceutical product development including R&D, formulation development, analytical development, CMC development and bioequivalence, with a focus on generic topical product development and exploiting the company’s drug delivery technology.
Felicia has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry and she joined Acrux in 2001. Felicia has previously held positions at Faulding Pharmaceuticals, the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the Austin Hospital, Silliker-Microtech Laboratories and was an Adjunct Appointee Lecturer with the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University. Felicia has a Bachelor of Science degree (with Honours) from La Trobe University and an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business.
Mark Hyman , BSc
Project and Technical Development Director since July 2020
Mark has a diverse background in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. Following a pharmacokinetic research role with Melbourne University, Mark has more than 30 years’ industry experience and has held leadership positions in Quality, Manufacturing, Logistics & Operations, Product Development, Project Management and Commercial Development.
Mark’s experience spans prescription and consumer health, proprietary and generic products across topical, oral and injectable dose forms and drug infusion systems. With specialty expertise in project and technical management, Mark has a deep background in technology transfer and organisation development to establish comprehensive product development, portfolio and project management processes. Mark has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Pharmacology from Monash University.
Joanna Johnson, appointed as Company Secretary, June 2021 , CA, BEc, Grad Dip Management
Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary
Joanna is an experienced Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. She has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceuticals industry, having held senior financial leadership positions at IDT Australia Ltd, Generic Health Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc, Mayne Pharma Ltd and FH Faulding Ltd.
She has led both small and large finance teams, both nationally and internationally, through all aspects of reporting, business planning, budgeting, forecasting and analysis as well as equity capital raising, taxation, risk management, corporate compliance and investor relations.