CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) today announced that Michael McDonnell, Biogen’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, plans to retire from the company on February 28, 2025. Upon Mr. McDonnell’s retirement, Robin Kramer, currently Chief Accounting Officer at Biogen, will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In the coming weeks and months, Mr. McDonnell will work closely with Ms. Kramer to ensure a smooth transition.

Mr. McDonnell, who has served in his current role since August 2020, has been instrumental to repositioning Biogen towards the goal of returning to sustainable growth. He notably led a program to re-align the company’s cost structure to its revenue base and to redeploy capital in areas of potential growth. As part of these efforts, Mr. McDonnell played a pivotal role in recent strategic acquisitions of late-stage assets and in creating a culture of financial discipline and continuous improvement across the company.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and our entire leadership team, I would like to extend our gratitude to Mike for his years of dedication to Biogen. In the two years we have worked together, Mike has demonstrated strong leadership during our Fit for Growth program, and he has been an important and valued counsel for me and our team,” said Christopher A. Viehbacher, Biogen President and Chief Executive Officer. 

“Mike leads a strong team, and I am pleased to be able to announce that Robin Kramer will succeed Mike as Executive Vice President and CFO when Mike retires early next year. Her deep understanding of our business, coupled with her breadth of knowledge and leadership experience give me great confidence in her as our next CFO,” Viehbacher continued. “Robin will join the Executive Committee and work with our leadership team to build upon Biogen’s transformation and further advance our strategic vision.” 

Ms. Kramer joined Biogen in 2018 and has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since 2020. In this capacity, she has overseen key finance functions including Treasury. She is also responsible for global procurement and Biogen's Global Business Services operations. She brings a strong track record of corporate financial and accounting experience across different industries, including biotechnology, and will continue to be a key contributor to the advancement of Biogen’s sustained performance. She has partnered with Mr. McDonnell and the rest of the leadership team on the company’s M&A strategy and other strategic growth initiatives. Ms. Kramer works closely with the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee.

“I am honored to assume the role of CFO as Biogen continues to execute on its strategic transformation for the benefit of our patients, partners, employees and shareholders,” said Ms. Kramer. “Mike has been a wonderful mentor to me the last few years, and I look forward to working with Chris, the Executive Committee and the Board as we continue to advance and deliver on the strategic and financial objectives, which we believe are core to Biogen’s next chapter of biotech leadership and our ability to create attractive returns for our shareholders.”

Before joining Biogen, Ms. Kramer held senior finance roles at Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., Fisher Scientific International, Inc. and The Gillette Company, and was an audit partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Ernst & Young LLP and Arthur Andersen LLP. Ms. Kramer currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Armata Pharmaceuticals and serves on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee of the Center for Women and Enterprise. She holds a B.S.B.A. in Accounting from Salem State University and is a licensed CPA in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“I am deeply grateful for my time at Biogen and for the company’s unwavering commitment to patients, which has profoundly impacted me. It has truly been a privilege serving as Biogen's Chief Financial Officer," said Mike McDonnell. "While I look forward to retirement and the opportunity to spend more time with my family, who have supported me throughout my career, I will miss working alongside my exceptional colleagues. I'm especially grateful to Robin Kramer for her partnership and congratulate her on her appointment as Biogen’s next CFO; I am confident she will excel in this role.”

About Biogen
Founded in 1978, Biogen is a leading biotechnology company that pioneers innovative science to deliver new medicines to transform patients’ lives and to create value for shareholders and our communities. We apply deep understanding of human biology and leverage different modalities to advance first-in-class treatments or therapies that deliver superior outcomes. Our approach is to take bold risks, balanced with return on investment to deliver long-term growth.

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