SJP Project Solutions to lead team to manage build-out of Eisai’s new U.S. headquarters in Nutley

Eisai said Jan. 19 it has selected SJP Project Solutions to lead a team in the build-out of its new U.S. headquarters at ON3, a high-tech bio-ecosystem in Nutley where it will be relocating from Woodcliff Lake in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Eisai signed a lease in August for 300,000 square feet at the campus and has tapped SJP Project Solutions — the third-party development management division of SJP Properties — to work with its in-house team. As part of the process, the SJP team will collaborate with ON3 owner Prism Capital Partners on the base-building improvements and will work closely with leading global architecture firms HLW and AMA on the design and build-out of Eisai’s new headquarters, where the company will be transferring up to 1,200 corporate staff and research and development functions.

“Continued and constant growth of the health care ecosystem is essential during these challenging times,” said Joel Beetsch, vice president of Corporate Affairs at Eisai Inc. “The combination of healthcare innovation and the knowledge-creating space in which it takes place is a critical and powerful partnership. Eisai deeply appreciates the expertise of SJP to help drive the delivery of healthcare solutions to patients and their families.”

Eisai said it conducted a thorough search for a headquarters project team that will effectively support its commitment to “human health care” — Eisai’s corporate philosophy denoting the key role that patients, their families and consumers all play in the health care industry.

“As a company that is on the leading edge of the life sciences sector, Eisai was discerning and deliberate in its process for assembling a team to deliver a purpose-built headquarters that will be additive to its operations and facilitate employees’ invaluable work,” said Peter Bronsnick, president — New Jersey Region at SJP Properties. “Now, more than ever, making real estate decisions with your workforce’s well-being in mind is crucial for business continuity, and Eisai is the perfect example of a company that is leading from the front in this regard.”

Separately, Eisai Inc., announced on Jan. 19 that it appointed Dr. Richard Woodman as chief clinical officer (CCLO) of its Oncology Business Group. In this role, Woodman will have full oversight and responsibility for the strategic and operational leadership of the company’s global oncology clinical development functions, including clinical research, clinical operations, imaging, medical writing, data services, biostatistics and regulatory strategy. He will also serve as a member of the Oncology Executive Leadership team.

Before joining Eisai, Woodman served as chief medical officer and head of research and development at Onconova Therapeutics, where he was responsible for its late- and early-stage oncology development programs. Before Onconova, he spent 12 years at Novartis, serving as head of U.S. Oncology Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, after initially holding the position of franchise head for Hematology in Global Medical Affairs. Woodman began his pharmaceutical career as a senior medical director at Johnson & Johnson, where he led the oncology franchise at Ortho Biotech Products LP.