Oncorena Strengthens its Board of Directors with Thomas Axelsson and Håkan Björklund
Oncorena Strengthens its Board of Directors with Thomas Axelsson and Håkan Björklund
Lund, Sweden, October 5, 2026 – Oncorena AB, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a novel treatment for metastatic renal cancer, today announces that the Extraordinary General Meeting has elected Thomas Axelsson as new Chairman of the Board and Håkan Björklund as new member of the Board of Directors. The appointments further strengthen the Board with extensive international experience from pharmaceutical development, commercialization, company building and the capital markets.
Thomas Axelsson brings close to 40 years of experience from the life science industry, including as President and CEO of the publicly listed companies Vitrolife, Stille and Artema. During his more than eleven years as CEO of Vitrolife, the company developed from a small-cap company into a global leader within IVF. Thomas also has extensive experience as a board member and chairman of both listed and privately held life science companies.
Håkan Björklund has extensive international experience from the pharmaceutical and life science industries. He served as CEO of Nycomed Pharma Holding from 1999 to 2011 and previously held several senior executive positions at Astra, including President of Astra Draco and Regional Director for Astra in the Nordic region and Europe. He has also served as Industry Executive at Avista Capital Partners and has held numerous board positions in international pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology companies.
“I am very pleased to take on the role as Chairman of Oncorena at a time when the company’s work to develop a new treatment for metastatic renal cancer is showing such promising progress. This is an area of significant unmet medical need, and I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued development.” says Thomas Axelsson, newly elected Chairman of Oncorena.
“Oncorena is built on a strong scientific foundation and is addressing an area with a significant need for new treatment options. I look forward to contributing my experience from international pharmaceutical development and company building as Oncorena takes the next steps in its development.” says Håkan Björklund, newly elected Board member of Oncorena.
Following the Extraordinary General Meeting, the Board of Directors consists of Thomas Axelsson, Chairman, Håkan Björklund, Björn Odlander, Thomas Bergh, Christer Fåhraeus
and Sofia Heigis.
Andreas Segerros, who has served as Chairman of Oncorena, leaves the Board in connection with the Extraordinary General Meeting.
“On behalf of Oncorena, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Andreas for his significant contribution to the company. During his tenure as Chairman, Oncorena has developed substantially, both scientifically and as a company, and his experience and commitment have been highly valuable throughout this journey.” says Börje Haraldsson, CEO Oncorena.
About Thomas Axelsson
Born: 1959
Education: Studies in Industrial Engineering and Management at Linköping University.
Current assignments: Chairman of C-RAD, Nexpring Health and Star Wine List.
Previous assignments: Close to 40 years of experience in the life science industry, including as President and CEO of the publicly listed companies Vitrolife, Stille and Artema. Previous board positions include the listed companies Stille, MedCap and Medivir, as well as chairman of several privately held life science companies.
About Håkan Björklund
Born: 1956
Education: PhD in neuroscience from Karolinska Institutet and Associate Professor (Docent) at Karolinska Institutet. Elected Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA).
Current assignments: Chairman of Bohus Biotech and BioPhorum and board positions in Tellacq Group, Immedica Pharma and Vetz Petz.
Previous assignments: More than 40 years of international experience from the pharmaceutical and life science industries, including CEO of Nycomed Pharma Holding and several senior executive positions at Astra. Håkan has extensive board experience and has served as Chairman of Sobi, BONESUPPORT, H. Lundbeck and Asker Healthcare Group, as well as a Board member of companies including QIAGEN and Coloplast.
For further information, please contact
Börje Haraldsson, CEO, Oncorena AB
Mobile: +46 702 67 95 44
Email: borje.haraldsson@oncorena.com
About Oncorena
Oncorena AB is a Swedish pharmaceutical company founded in 2011 in Gothenburg and headquartered in Lund, with a presence at The Park Forskaren at Karolinska Institutet. Oncorena is developing a novel treatment for metastatic renal cancer based on the drug candidate ONC175 (Orellanine). The company is primarily financed by HealthCap, Linc AB and FSG.