Geert Cauwenbergh

In August 2008, Dr Geert Cauwenbergh was named CEO and Chairman of RHEI Pharmaceuticals, a company that in-licenses western pharmaceutical products for the Chinese and SE Asian markets, takes these products through the regulatory channels, and provides the commercial support for successful launch, marketing and distribution of these products through its own organization and through strategic regional partnerships.

In February 2008, Geert founded Phases123, a company focused on high potential health care technology platforms and emerging health care companies. Phases123 provides the necessary support structure around these platforms and companies, creating accelerated growth, by building management teams, facilitating product and business development and providing access to capital and geographical expansion.

Prior to founding Phases123, Dr. Cauwenbergh founded Barrier Therapeutics in September of 2001; a biopharmaceutical company with focus on research and development of patented drugs for treatment of skin diseases. He raised private financing for the company in 2002 and took the Company public with a listing on the NASDAQ (Symbol: BTRX) in 2004. Through capital raises for a total of $250 million, he developed Barrier Therapeutics from a pure R&D organization into a fully integrated commercial US company with 3 products in the market and $45 million in revenues in 2008, as well as a broad and deep pipeline of innovative treatments in development. Barrier Therapeutics was acquired by Stiefel Laboratories in 2008.

Prior to founding Barrier Therapeutics, Dr. Cauwenbergh was Vice President of Technology of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Consumer and Personal Care Products Companies. In this capacity, he created technology platforms based on intellectual property and know-how owned by Johnson & Johnson, and developed business plans around these platforms as the basis for new companies or new businesses within J&J.  

Previously, Geert served as global Vice President of R&D of the J&J Consumer Companies Worldwide, and he was a member of the J&J Business Development Council. In 1994, Dr. Cauwenbergh moved from Europe to the USA, and became Vice President of Product Development and member of the Board of the US Johnson & Johnson Consumer Company. He also served as Director of the J&J Skin Care Council, coordinating all skin care activities in the different operating groups of the Corporation.

Geert joined the R&D organization of the Janssen Research Foundation in Belgium in 1982, after 3 years in sales and marketing in Janssen Pharmaceutica. He held positions of increasing responsibility and oversaw global development of several drugs in the areas of dermatology and infectious diseases as the worldwide director for those 2 franchises until 1994.

Dr Cauwenbergh is a member of the Board of Trustees, and is the current Chairman of the Board of BioNJ, the industry organization for biotechnology in New Jersey, USA. In 2004, Dr Cauwenbergh was appointed Trade Advisor for Health Care in North America to the Belgian Government, a function which was renewed in 2007. In 2007, Geert was named on the Board of Ablynx NV and Euroscreen SA, 2 biotechnology companies in Europe. He joined the Board of a privately held biotech company, ECI Biotech Inc, in Massachusetts, USA. in 2008 and was appointed  as its Executive Chairman in 2009. 

Dr. Cauwenbergh has authored over 100 publications and has been guest editor of a number of books in mycology and infectious diseases. He received his Doctorate in Medical Sciences from the Catholic University of Leuven, Faculty of Medicine, where he also completed his masters and undergraduate work.

In 2004 Dr. Cauwenbergh was inducted in the New Jersey High Tech Hall of Fame.