Essential Pharma Appoints Nicola Heffron As Non-Executive Director To Strengthen Board Leadership

Essential Pharma has announced the appointment of Nicola Heffron as a Non-Executive Director, effective immediately. Nicola brings more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, with particular expertise in rare diseases and oncology areas closely aligned with Essential Pharma’s mission to serve niche patient populations. She currently serves as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing & Market Access at Alexion, where she oversees global commercial strategy, including marketing, pricing, and access. Her leadership has helped shape commercial approaches for therapies targeting rare and complex conditions.

Before joining Alexion, Nicola held a number of senior roles at bluebird bio and its related entities. These included serving as Chief Operating Officer for bluebird bio Oncology and later for 2 seventy bio, the oncology-focused spin-out from bluebird bio. In these positions, she was responsible for strategic operations and execution in the development and commercialization of advanced therapies. 

Lee Morley, Chairman of the Board at Essential Pharma, said in a statement, “Nicola joins the Board at an important moment in Essential Pharma’s journey. In particular, we look forward to benefiting from her insights as we seek to expand our rare disease footprint, as well as growing our portfolio and development pipeline more broadly.” 

Emma Johnson, CEO of Essential Pharma, also mentioned, “I’m proud to welcome someone of Nicola’s calibre to Essential Pharma’s Board. Her extensive leadership experience across global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and her focus in rare diseases and oncology, will be invaluable as we work to make a difference for patients in niche patient populations.”

Her earlier career includes key roles at well-established pharmaceutical companies such as Celgene, Shire, GSK, and Eli Lilly, where she specialized in oncology and respiratory medicines. Nicola holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Bradford University and an MBA from Warwick University. Her appointment adds significant strategic and commercial depth to Essential Pharma’s board, supporting the company’s continued focus on delivering essential treatments to underserved patient groups.