NORTHBROOK, Ill., Oct. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas today announced the appointment of Steven E. Benner, M.D., as senior vice president and Therapeutic Area Head for Oncology, and the promotion of Anne Keating, Pharm. D., to vice president of Clinical Science for Oncology, within the company's Development organization.

"Astellas couldn't be more pleased to have Steven and Anne help lead us on our journey to becoming a global oncology leader," said Bernhardt G. Zeiher, M.D., president, Development, Astellas. "They have diverse experience across all areas of development and I know they will provide the strategic oversight to help us continue to address the evolving needs of our patients."

In his new role, Benner will report directly to Zeiher and be responsible for providing global leadership for Astellas' Oncology therapeutic area, which includes numerous clinical programs in areas such as prostate cancer, leukemia, lung cancer and breast cancer, among others.

Benner previously served in senior leadership positions in clinical development, compliance and licensing at Cell Therapeutics Inc., OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, PDL BioPharma and Bristol-Myers Squibb, as well as academic appointments at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He earned his doctor of medicine from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, his Master of Health Sciences from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago. Benner obtained board certification in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

In her new role, Keating will be responsible for the vision, leadership and strategic direction for the execution of all phases of Astellas' Clinical Science oncology programs globally, applying operational best practices into the design and execution of projects across the company's portfolio in collaboration with Clinical Science colleagues around the world. Keating will report to Eric Terhaerdt, senior vice president, Development Operations.

Keating joined Astellas in 2004 as a director of Clinical Operations, and has held a series of roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, she served as an executive director and global development project leader for Oncology, overseeing the clinical development program for ASP8273, Astellas' investigative medicine for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Keating earned her doctorate of pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University.

Benner and Keating will be located at Astellas' office in Northbrook, Ill., USA.

About Astellas Pharma Inc.

Astellas Pharma Inc., located in Tokyo, Japan, is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals. Astellas has approximately 18,000 employees worldwide. The organization is committed to becoming a global category leader in Urology, Immunology (including Transplantation) and Infectious diseases, Oncology, Neuroscience and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) Complications and Kidney diseases. For more information on Astellas Pharma Inc., please visit the company website at www.astellas.com/en.

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