June 2013 - Robert A. Ingram welcomed George B. Abercrombie to the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation’s board of directors earlier this year. George B. Abercrombie served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Hoffmann-La Roche Incorporated from 2001-2009 where he was responsible for leading the North American Pharmaceuticals Operations in Nutley, New Jersey, and the Canadian affiliate, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. in Mississauga, Ontario. During his tenure, Abercrombie also served as a member of the Roche Pharmaceutical Executive Committee (PEC), which was responsible for developing and implementing global strategy for the Pharmaceuticals Division. While at Roche, Abercrombie was a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the U.S. trade organization PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America), and the state Healthcare Institute of New Jersey.

Before joining Roche, Abercrombie was senior vice president of U.S. commercial operations at Glaxo Wellcome, with responsibilities encompassing pharmaceutical sales and marketing, electronic commerce, the U.S. managed care system, disease management, business planning and development, and late-stage clinical drug studies. He joined Glaxo as vice president and general manager of the Glaxo Pharmaceuticals Division in 1993 following 10 years at Merck, where he held a broad range of positions in sales, marketing, executive sales management and business development.

Abercrombie began his career as a pharmacist after receiving a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He later earned an MBA from Harvard University. In July 2010, he attended the Harvard Business School course, Making Corporate Boards More Effective.

Abercrombie currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Brickell Biotech and Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the audit committee of Project Hope. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Biocryst Pharmaceuticals. He recently served on the Boards of Directors of Tranzyme Pharma (member of Corporate Governance, Nominating, and Audit Committees), Inspire Pharmaceuticals (member of Audit Committee) and Ziopharm Oncology (member of Compensation and Governance Committees).

Abercrombie is a member of the Advisory Board of Physicians Interactive Holdings and is an Adjunct Professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business where he teaches second year MBAs. He was recently elected to join the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy Foundation Board of Directors. As President of Abercrombie Advisors LLC, Abercrombie consults to early-stage pharmaceutical companies.

Previously, he served on the Board of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, as Chairman of the University of North Carolina Board of Visitors, and on the Health Care Advisory Council of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

"Abercrombie's background will be an asset to our board of directors and I look forward to working with him to continue the mission of the foundation – providing grants that support health, science and education in North Carolina" said Marilyn Foote-Hudson, executive director for the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation.