Drug company CEO to join IVI board

Joseph Kim, a Korean-American, will join the International Vaccine Institute board of trustees.

The Seoul-based institute said Tuesday that it appointed three new board members including Kim. The two others are Fred Binka from Ghana and George R. Siber from Canada. They will serve three-year terms to oversee the governance and management of the institute.

Kim is an internationally recognized leader in vaccines. He holds a Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA in finance from Wharton, and dual undergraduate degrees from MIT.

As founder and CEO of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, he has led his company with a focus on developing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines for both developed and developing markets.

As a Korean-born member of the World Economic Forum and a principal figure on the Global Agenda Council on Korea 2012-2013, he and other leading thinkers are reviewing economic and geopolitical challenges facing South Korea today.

Kim has been recognized by MIT’s Technology Review as one of the world’s top 100 young innovators and by Newsweek International as one of 10 leaders, scientists and executives at the forefront of change in the world.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)