Zita Peach to succeed Patrick Davies as Board Chair
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Neuren (NEU) – ASX Announcement 12 November 2026
Neuren appoints Zita Peach to succeed Patrick Davies as Board Chair
Melbourne, Australia: Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX: NEU) today announced that Ms Zita Peach
has been appointed Chair of the Board following a carefully considered succession process. Zita
succeeds Patrick Davies, who joined the Board in July 2018 and has served as Chair since May
2020.
Zita brings more than 35 years of healthcare executive leadership across pharmaceuticals,
biotechnology and medical devices, and has substantial experience as a Non-Executive Director
and Chair of various public and private healthcare enterprises.
Neuren CEO & Managing Director Jon Pilcher commented: “The Neuren Board and
management are grateful to Patrick for his exemplary leadership over a period in which
Neuren’s business and valuation have been transformed. We now look forward to working with
Zita to achieve the next stage of growth.”
Patrick Davies commented: “I am delighted with all that Neuren has achieved so far and excited
about the prospects for the future. Zita’s deep experience in mergers and acquisitions,
licensing, global commercialisation and board governance will be very valuable as Neuren
pursues its growth strategy in the years ahead.”
Zita Peach was Executive Vice President, South Asia Pacific and Managing Director, Australia
and New Zealand at Fresenius Kabi driving double-digit growth over a sustained period. Before
that she spent a decade as Vice President, Business Development at CSL, leading licensing deals,
partnerships, acquisitions, and early commercialisation of influenza vaccine internationally.
Previous roles include Commercial Director at Merck Sharp & Dohme and helping build AMRAD
Pharmaceuticals from its launch.
Zita has served on numerous public and private company boards. She chaired ASX-listed Pacific
Smiles Group from 2020 to 2024, guiding it through the pandemic and a sale process. She
currently Chairs the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and is a Non-Executive
Director of Monash IVF Group, Icon Group, Nucleus Network and VetPartners. She has
previously served as a Director of Starpharma, Visioneering Technologies and the Hudson
Institute of Medical Research.
Zita holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne. She is a Fellow of the
Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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Zita Peach commented: “I am delighted to be joining Neuren Pharmaceuticals at an important
stage in the company’s evolution. Neuren has established a strong foundation through its
commitment to developing innovative treatments for serious neurodevelopmental disorders,
with potential to make a meaningful difference to patients and their families. I see significant
opportunities to build on this foundation, advance the company’s pipeline and create
sustainable long-term value for shareholders. I look forward to working with the Board,
management team and our partners to guide Neuren through its next phase of growth, with a
strong focus on strategic discipline, execution and delivering better outcomes for patients.”
Click here to view this announcement on our Investor Hub.
About Neuren
Neuren Pharmaceuticals is developing new drug therapies to treat multiple serious neurological
disorders caused by genetic abnormalities or brain injury, that have no or limited approved treatment
options. Neuren’s therapies target the critical role of Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the brain,
using orally administered analogs of naturally occurring peptides.
DAYBUE® (trofinetide) oral solution and DAYBUE STIX (trofinetide) powder are approved for the
treatment of Rett syndrome by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The oral solution is also
approved by the European Medicines Agency, Health Canada and the Ministry of Health in Israel.
Neuren has granted an exclusive worldwide license to Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. for the development
and commercialisation of trofinetide.
Neuren’s investigative drug candidate, NNZ-2591 (ercanetide), is in clinical development as an oral
solution treatment for multiple neurodevelopmental disorders, including Phelan-McDermid syndrome,
Pitt Hopkins syndrome and Angelman syndrome. Each of these programs has been granted “orphan
drug” designation in the United States and the European Union as well as Fast Track and Rare Pediatric
Disease designations from the FDA. NNZ-2591 has also been granted orphan drug designation for the
treatment of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a serious condition caused by brain injury before or
shortly after birth.
Currently, Neuren is conducting a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
(“Koala”) evaluating the safety and efficacy of NNZ-2591 in children aged 3 to 12 years with Phelan-
McDermid syndrome and a 52-week open-label extension study.
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Investor contact:
Jon Pilcher, CEO & Managing Director
+61 438 422 271
investorrelations@neurenpharma.com
Media Contact:
Rudi Michelson, Monsoon Communications
rudim@monsoon.com.au
ASX Listing Rules information
This announcement was authorized to be given to the ASX by the Board of Neuren Pharmaceuticals
Limited, Suite 1.01, 117 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East, VIC 3123
Forward-looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Such
statements involve known and unknown risks and important factors that may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of Neuren to be materially different from the statements in this
announcement.
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