Insmed names new president, chief executive officer

Lewis has also been appointed to the company’s board of directors and succeeds Tim Whitten, who resigned as president and chief executive officer and as a company’s board member.

Donald Hayden, Jr., who was appointed executive chairman in May 2012, will return to his role as chairman.

Insmed chairman Hayden said Will has a record of success in the strategic, operational and financial leadership of rapidly growing organizations and has demonstrated the ability to significantly increase shareholder value in the biotech industry.

"Will has worked closely with the Insmed Board and management team as an advisor to the Company during the past several months, and I am confident he will successfully lead Insmed in its efforts to fully realize the potential our lead compound, ARIKACE, holds for patients suffering from serious orphan diseases of the lung," Hayden added.

Lewis formerly served as a co-founder, president and chief financial officer of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, prior to which he spent more than 10 years working in the US and Europe in investment banking for JP Morgan, Robertson Stephens and Wells Fargo.