Between the Legal Lines — Jane Wasman

Joining a board or directors is often the goal for many after reaching the pinnacle of their career. Jane Wasman, former lawyer, currently sits on four corporate boards, and in this episode of Between the Legal Lines, she shares her journey to the boardroom with Andrea Bricca. Jane discusses how the GC role prepared her to serve as an independent director, what she learned on her first board and what women need to do to land that coveted board role.

 Between the Legal Lines · An Interview with Jane Wasman

Jane Wasman chairs the board of directors of Sellas Life Sciences, a publicly traded biotechnology company, chairs its nominations & governance committee, and is a member of its audit, compensation and finance committees. She also is a member of the board of directors of Rigel Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded biotechnology company, where she is a member of its nominations, governance & compliance committee and its scientific committee; of the board of Athersys, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, where she is a member of its compensation, nominations & governance, and executive committees; and, of the board of Cytovia Therapeutics, a private biotechnology company, where she is a member of its finance committee. She has been a member of the board of directors and a member of the executive committee of the New York Biotechnology Association since 2007. Additionally, she is co-founder of the NY Hub of BioDirector, an organization supporting board effectiveness and diversity.

Jane is a strategic leader with almost 25 years in the biopharma industry, with extensive U.S. and international experience. Her expertise includes M&A, strategic development, corporate governance, international, litigation, commercial, compliance and government affairs, as well as operational implementation. She was President, International & General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Acorda Therapeutics Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, from 2012 through December 2019, managing its international, legal, quality, intellectual property and compliance functions, after serving in other executive roles at Acorda starting in 2004. Before joining Acorda, Jane was with Schering-Plough Corporation, a global pharmaceutical company, for over eight years, holding various U.S. and international leadership positions, including Staff Vice President and Associate General Counsel. 

Jane graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She currently resides in New York City.

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