Illumina CEO Francis deSouza Resigns

After making it though attempts to oust him, CEO Francis deSouza resigned from Illumina as of June 11. Senior VP and General Counsel Charles Dadswell has been named interim CEO while the Board of Directs searches for a new CEO. During this time deSouza will stay on in an advisory capacity until July 31.
 
“We thank Francis for his contribution and leadership, and are very excited about embarking on the next chapter of Illumina’s great journey,” commented Stephen P. MacMillan, chair of the board at Illumina, “Illumina’s technology remains at the forefront of DNA sequencing and has continued to set a pace for the industry. We are confident Illumina can continue to execute on its goals while we conduct and complete a CEO search process.”
 
The board will be look at internal and external candidates for a CEO. The board is focused on finding a business leader who can drive advancements in healthcare, growth, and shareholder value.
 
Late last month deSouza gained a partial victory in a proxy vote on his time as CEO and on the move to acquire liquid biopsy company Grail. John Thompson took over as board chair months before Illumina closed the Grail deal without securing regulatory approval. 
 
As CEO deSouza transformed the company from focusing on research to now working on clinical trade. That legacy could be overshadowed by Illumina’s forced to divest the business at a lower value for deciding to buy Grail for $8 billion. 
 
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve Illumina. When I joined the company in 2013, we talked about making the company more clinical, more digital and more global. On behalf of the patients, clinicians and physicians everywhere, I’d like to thank the thousands of Illumina employees who make it happen,” said deSouza. “We have made great progress together, but I believe we are still at the very beginning of the impact Illumina will have on human health by unlocking the power of the genome.”
 
Illumina is a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, Illumina’s innovative solutions for DNA, RNA and protein analysis serve as tools for disease research, drug development and the development of modular tests in the clinic.