Mr Whelan replaces Gregory Turnbull, who was serving as interim CFO and will remain a company director and a member of the board’s executive committee.
Prior to joining AP Pharma, Mr Whelan was COO and CFO at Raven biotechnologies, where he oversaw the finance function as well as having broad operational responsibilities.
Ronald Prentki, president and CEO of AP Pharma, said: “John’s expertise in financial operations and significant general management experience make him a valuable asset and addition to AP Pharma’s management team.”