Peninsula Skincare Labs, Inc. Key Personnel
Ernest Mario, Ph.D. – Chairman of the Board of Directors
Ernest Mario is Chairman and CEO of Capnia, a private pharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic products to treat migraine and allergic rhinitis using a proprietary gas delivery system. After working as a drugstore pharmacist and then beginning his pharmaceutical industry career as a researcher, Dr. Mario served in management at a number of drug companies before being named in 1989 Chief Executive of Glaxo, then the second-largest drug company in the world. During Dr. Mario’s tenure, Glaxo brought five major new products to market and saw sales and profits increase by 15% annually. Later Dr. Mario led pioneering drug delivery technology company Alza until selling it to Johnson & Johnson in 2001. He subsequently served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Reliant Pharmaceuticals, where he led the commercialization of Omacor/Lovaza, the first and only prescription omega-3 medication clinically proven to dramatically reduce very high triglycerides. In addition to his current and past service on a number of corporate boards, Dr. Mario is active in numerous educational and healthcare organizations. He is Chairman of the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education and is past Chairman of the Duke University Health System. Dr. Mario earned a BS in pharmacy at Rutgers and his MS and PhD in physical sciences at the University of Rhode Island. He holds honorary doctorates from URI and Rutgers, the latter of which in 2001 renamed its pharmacy school the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. In 2007 he was awarded the Remington Medal by the American Pharmacists’ Association, pharmacy’s highest honor.
Belinda Tsao-Nivaggioli, Ph.D. – President, CEO, Board Member and Co-Founder
Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli also serves as chief executive officer and board member of the Avicena Group. Prior to her current role, Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli served as Avicena’s chief operating officer from 2002 to 2004. During her tenure as COO, the company expanded its intellectual property portfolio and built a valuable pipeline of products including several drug candidates for the treatment of various neurological disorders. As a result, the Avicena Group secured an orphan drug designation for its lead product, a therapeutic for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and has subsequently initiated a Phase III study. In addition, Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli is credited with launching the company’s OTC program.
Prior to joining Avicena, Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli served as manager of research and development for Gillette’s Oral-B division, where she was responsible for new products from development through manufacture. In this role, she worked extensively with both business and technical operations groups including marketing, marketing research, clinical research and technical products research. While at Oral-B, Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli developed and commercialized several oral care products including Satin Floss® and Oral-B® Floss, the company’s flagship dental floss.
Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli received an A.B. degree, with honors, in chemistry from Oberlin College and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in bioorganic chemistry from the University of Toronto. Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli did her post-doctoral research with Dr. Julius Rebek at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she studied chemical nucleases and self-replicating systems.
Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli is co-founder of Peninsula Skincare Labs, Inc. along with Mr. Rose.
Phillip J. Rose, R.Ph. –Chief Marketing Officer, Board Member and Co-Founder
Mr. Rose is a Registered Pharmacist and graduate of Union University, Albany College of Pharmacy with a B.S. in Pharmacy. Mr. Rose’s career in the Pharmaceutical Industry includes various sales, marketing and Executive Management Positions with Eli Lilly and Company, Glaxo, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals (formerly ICN). Mr. Rose is the former President and CEO of Obagi Medical Products, the premier supplier of skincare products to the Physician’s Market, and Randall International, a manufacturer and supplier of custom skincare products and amenities to the Hotel and Spa markets.
Recently Mr. Rose has managed a dermatology focused commercialization consulting business and has also actively practiced Pharmacy with Walgreens.
Mr. Rose is co-founder of Peninsula Skincare Labs, Inc. along with Dr. Tsao-Nivaggioli.
James R. Butler
Mr. Butler retired as President of Alza International in 2001. Mr. Butler joined Alza Corporation, the world’s premier drug delivery company in 1994 as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Alza, Mr. Butler was Senior Vice President and General Manager for Glaxo, Inc. Mr. Butler presided over the launch and market development of Zantac, which became the world’s best selling prescription medication. Mr. Butler serves on the Board of Pharmacy at the University of Florida, his alma mater.
Michael Sullivan
Mr. Sullivan is a senior financial executive with a successful track record and more than 25 years experience with both large and small companies across various industries. His extensive experience includes fundraising, cash management, business turnarounds, strategic planning, company build-out, and risk management for both public and private companies.
Mr. Sullivan has served as CFO of WorldCare, Ltd., a global healthcare services and solutions company, since March 2005. In this position, he has played a key role in the company’s corporate finance and operational activities. Before his tenure at WorldCare, he served as CFO at Systems Engineering, Inc. (SEI), a leading international financial services and government software and networking firm, where he led a successful turnaround effort that resulted in the company’s first significant profitability in its 20-year history. He has also held management level financial positions at a number of public and private companies including Fidelity Investments, X-Collaboration Software Corp. and Wang Laboratories.
Mr. Sullivan received a B.A. in economics from Yale University, graduating Cum Laude in just three years.