Exhibit 99.1
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Rigel Announces Executive Management Changes
James M. Gower Retires, Raul Rodriguez Named CEO and Appointed to the Board, Gary Lyons Named Chairman
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., November 24, 2014 — Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:RIGL) today announced James M. Gower is retiring from the board of directors and from his positions as chairman and chief executive officer, and Raul Rodriguez, most recently serving as the company’s president and chief operating officer, will assume the position of chief executive officer and join the board of directors. Gary Lyons, a member of Rigel’s Board of Directors since 2005, will become chairman. Mr. Gower is expected to remain an employee until the end of the year and, thereafter will be a consultant to the company providing advice on strategy, business development and other matters.
“We are grateful to Jim for his many years of commitment to Rigel and his role in fostering the company’s growth,” said Gary Lyons, chairman of Rigel’s board of directors. Mr. Lyons noted that Mr. Gower and Mr. Rodriguez have been working together towards this transition. “We are confident in Raul’s capabilities and readiness to lead Rigel into the next phase of growth,” added Mr. Lyons.
Mr. Gower joined Rigel as president and chief executive officer in January 1997. He was named chairman of the board in October 2001. Under his guidance, Rigel grew from a small startup to a significant developer of small molecule therapeutics for a range of immune and metabolic disorders. Mr. Gower is a widely respected and well known leader in the biotech community, having previously served as president and chief executive officer of Tularik, Inc. (later acquired by Amgen), and as senior vice president at Genentech Inc. prior to its merger with Roche.
Mr. Rodriguez joined Rigel in April 2000 as vice president of business development. He was named executive vice president and chief operating officer in June 2004, and has been president and chief operating officer since May 2010. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of Rigel, Mr. Rodriguez has been pivotal in developing relationships with biopharmaceutical industry leaders and observers, speaking on behalf of the company and the industry at major events. Prior to joining Rigel, Mr. Rodriguez held senior management, business development and operations roles at Ontogeny, Inc. and Scios, Inc. He began his career at G.D. Searle & Company. He holds an A.B. from Harvard College, a Masters of Public Health from the University of Illinois, and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Mr. Lyons became a member of the board of directors of Rigel in October 2005. He serves on the board of directors of Neurocrine Bioscience, Inc., after having been the founding President and Chief Executive Officer from 1993 to 2008. Mr Lyons also serves as a member of the board of directors and as a strategic advisor to a number of public and private biotechnology companies.