Novavax, Inc. has promoted Gale E. Smith, Ph.D., to Senior Vice President, Discovery and Pre-Clinical Research and Chief Scientist, and has appointed Troy Morgan as Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer. Greg Covino will be stepping down as Chief Financial Officer and will take on a new role as executive adviser to the company.

Recognized as a pioneer in vaccine research, Dr. Smith is the senior inventor of the insect cell technology that serves as the basis of Novavax' scientific platform and is used broadly by the pharmaceutical industry, as well as on the company's vaccine patents for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Ebola, influenza and coronavirus vaccines, including COVID-19. Since joining the company in January 2004, he has overseen discovery and preclinical research and leads vaccine technology development.

"Dr. Smith's scientific insights and leadership are an invaluable asset to Novavax and have already delivered vaccines that protect the health of millions worldwide," said Gregory M. Glenn, M.D., President of Research and Development, Novavax. "This well-deserved promotion reflects not only his major contributions in creating our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, but well over a decade of dedication to improving our technology platform."

Mr. Morgan previously served as Chief Compliance Officer at EMD Serono, Inc., where he was responsible for building a global corporate compliance program that supported a broad range of therapies. He also held senior leadership roles at Merck KGaA, Sanofi, and Biogen. At the Biogen spinout Bioverativ, he was responsible for the development, implementation and management of the global compliance program. 

Mr. Morgan will oversee the strategic direction of the company's comprehensive compliance program in a newly created role, which will help to ensure that all respective requirements are met across the organization. He will report directly to John A. Herrmann,  III, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary.

"We welcome Troy's specialized expertise in global compliance regulations and requirements as we look toward commercialization and work to efficiently deliver our vaccine around the world in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," said Stanley C. Erck, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax.

Mr. Covino is stepping down from his position as CFO for personal reasons and will remain with the company as an executive adviser. John J. Trizzino, Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Business Officer, will assume the CFO role on an interim basis while a search is under way for Mr. Covino's replacement.