Chairman: Sol Barer, Ph.D
Celgene Corporation, Senior Advisor and Former Chairman
Dr. Barer spent most of his professional career with the Celgene Corporation, one of the fastest growing and most profitable global biopharmaceutical companies with a market capitalization of ~$30 Billion, products in over 70 countries and revenues expected to exceed $4 Billion this year. He was Chairman of Celgene from January 2011 until June 2011, Executive Chairman from June 2010 until Jan 2011 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from May 2006 until June 2010. Previously he was appointed President in 1993 and Chief Operating Officer in 1994 before assuming the CEO position. He also served as Senior Vice President, Science and Technology, and Vice President/General Manager, Chiral Products, from October 1990 to October 1993, and Vice President, Technology, from September 1987 to October 1990. Dr. Barer is presently a consultant to the corporation.
Dr. Barer is Chairman of the Board of InspireMD and serves on the Board of Directors of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Amicus Therapeutics, Cerecor, ContraFect and Edge Therapeutics. He also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of BioNJ, is on the Board of the Brooklyn College Foundation, the Board of Trustees of Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, the Board of Trustees of the Liberty Science Center and the Board of Trustees of the Tourette Syndrome Association. He also serves as an advisor to a number of biotechnology/medical companies. He is currently the Chairman of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Governor’s Advisory Committee and previously served as a Commissioner of the NJ Commission on Science and Technology.
Dr. Barer was inducted into the NJBiz Hall of Fame in 2011 and was named as one of NJ’s top 10 scientists by New Jersey Business in 2008.
Dr. Barer holds numerous professional awards including the “Lifetime Achievement Award” (International Myeloma Foundation), “Outstanding Individual Award” (The Biotech Meeting 2010), “Dream & Promise Award” (Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation) “Odyssey Award” (Center for Medicine in the Public Interest), the “Corporate Vision Award” (Gilda’s Club), the “Sparkle of Hope Award” (Community Hope), “Master Entrepreneur Award” (Ernst & Young), “The Hall of Distinguished Alumni Award” (Rutgers University Alumni Federation), “Dr. Sol J. Barer Award for Vision, Innovation and Leadership” (BioNJ), “Science and Technology Industry Medal” (R&D Council of NJ), “Public Company Executive Award in Science and Technology” (Emerald Financial), “Rutgers University Graduate School Annual Distinguished Alumnus Award”, “Winthrop-Sears Medal” (The Chemists Club and the Chemical Heritage Foundation), and “Albert Einstein Award in Life Sciences” (Global Capital Associates and Jerusalem Fund, Israel), “DART/NYU Biotechnology Achievement Award in Applied Biotechnology” (Biotechnology Study Center of the New York University School of Medicine).
Dr. Barer and his wife have been honored for community service including the “Overlook Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service” (Overlook Hospital), the “Community Service Award” (Contact We Care), “Outstanding Philanthropists” (American Foundation for Philanthropy-NJ) and the “Community Service Award” (Union County Torah Center).
Dr. Barer received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Rutgers University and B.S. from Brooklyn College.
Dr. Barer has been married to his wife Meri for 42 years. They have four children and twelve grandchildren.
