Andrew Conrad Explained

Birth Place:United States
Field:Genetics
Work Institutions:North Carolina Research Campus
Alma Mater:University of California, Los Angeles
Spouse:

Andrew J. Conrad is an American geneticist who heads Verily, a life sciences division of Alphabet Inc.[1] As its chief executive officer, Conrad has recruited a multidisciplinary team of chemists, doctors, engineers, behavioral scientists and data scientists to research health and disease.[2]

Early life

Conrad grew up in Malibu, California and enjoyed surfing there.[3]

Education

Conrad graduated with a B.S. in neurobiology and a Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the late 1980s.[4] [5]

Career

In 1991 Conrad co-founded the National Genetics Institute (NGI) along with Mike Aicher.[6] He served as its chief scientist and helped grow it into one of the largest genetics laboratories in the world.[7] In 2000 LabCorp bought NGI for $65 million.

With the money earned from the sale of NGI, Conrad built a vacation home on the Lānaʻi island of Hawaii. On June 2, 2000, Conrad and Hollywood actress Courtney Thorne-Smith impulsively got married but the two split 7 months later.[8] [9] [10]

At an art auction in Lānaʻi, Conrad met David H. Murdock, chairman and owner of Dole Food Company, and also owner of Lānaʻi island. Murdock came to trust Conrad and eventually gave him board membership on companies he controlled: Castle & Cooke, Dole Food Company and NovaRx. Conrad invested his money with Murdock and his son, Justin.

In 2005, Conrad helped set up the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC), a life sciences research center in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Murdock donated $700 million to NCRC as its founder.[11] As its chief scientific advisor, Conrad attracted prominent scientists and companies to NCRC to develop products focused on agriculture, food, nutrition, and health.[12]

In November 2006 Conrad founded the California Health and Longevity Institute inside the Four Seasons Westlake Village, California in partnership with Murdock and Wellpoint.[13] [14]

In March 2013 Conrad joined the life sciences unit of Google X after 22 years at NGI.[15] [16]

In June 2013 Murdock started the process to take the Dole Food Company private and appointed Conrad at the head of a four-person special committee of independent directors to approve a deal.[17] Murdock initially offered $12 a share in cash,[18] a price that the committee found too low. Murdock ultimately closed the deal at $13.50 but shareholders sued anyway. In 2015 they were awarded $148 million in damages while Conrad was found to have acted with integrity, and was not held liable.[19]

In August 2015 the life sciences unit of Google X was spun out as its own company under the Alphabet Inc. with Conrad as its CEO.[20] In December 2015, the company changed its name from Google Life Sciences to Verily.[21]

In January 2023, Stephen Gillett became the new CEO of Verily,[22] while Conrad shifted roles to become the executive chairman amid a corporate restructuring.[23]

Awards

Conrad was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma 2015 by FierceBiotech.[24]

Publications

Conrad has more than eighty-five publications in scientific and medical journals.

Personal life

Conrad is an avid surfer and has a casual dressing style. He is married to Haylynn Cohen, a model, with whom he has two children.[25]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Meet the Google X Life Sciences Team . Alistair Barr . The Wall Street Journal . Jul 25, 2014 . Mar 28, 2016.
  2. News: Verily, I swear. Google Life Sciences debuts a new name . Charles Piller . STAT News . December 7, 2015 . Mar 28, 2016.
  3. News: Google's bold bid to transform medicine hits turbulence under a divisive CEO . Charles Piller . STAT News . Mar 28, 2016 . Mar 28, 2016.
  4. News: Meet Andy Conrad of Google Life Sciences . Johnson & Johnson Innovation Labs . Xconomy, Inc. . Aug 10, 2015 . Mar 28, 2016.
  5. Web site: Andrew J. Conrad Ph.D.: Executive Profile & Biography . Bloomberg Businessweek . Mar 28, 2016.
  6. News: Genome Interpretation Company Omicia Appoints Mike Aicher as CEO . BusinessWire . January 2, 2013 . Mar 28, 2016.
  7. Web site: National Genetics Institute » Who We Are » Andrew Conrad, Ph.D. . Mar 28, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306140759/http://ngi.com/company/bio_conrad.asp . 2016-03-06 .
  8. News: Shortest Hollywood marriages: Courtney Thorne-Smith and Andrew Conrad, 7 months . NY Daily News . Aug 21, 2004 . Mar 28, 2016.
  9. News: Thorne-Smith, Hubby: Split . Stephen M. Silverman . Stephen M. Silverman . People magazine . Jan 4, 2001 . Mar 28, 2016.
  10. News: End of Honeymoon for Thorne-Smith . ABC News . Jan 4, 2001 . Mar 28, 2016.
  11. News: Precision Medicine Initiative: Andrew J. Conrad, Ph.D. . National Institutes of Health . November 10, 2015 . Mar 28, 2016.
  12. News: Conrad brings it . Hugh Fisher . Salisbury Post . Jul 1, 2008 . Mar 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160409232227/http://slspublish.bits.baseview.com/ncrc/367661383293864.php . April 9, 2016 . dead .
  13. News: California Health and Longevity Institute Background . California Health and Longevity Institute . Jan 19, 2012 . Mar 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160416203607/http://www.chli.com/content/dam/westlake/press/CHLI_Background.pdf . April 16, 2016 . dead .
  14. News: 10 Wellness Activities at the Four Seasons Westlake Village . Jill Weinlein . The Independent Traveler, Inc. . March 2015 . Mar 28, 2016.
  15. News: Steven Levy interviews Andrew Conrad: "We're Hoping to Build the Tricorder". Steven Levy . BackChannel . Oct 28, 2014 . Mar 28, 2016.
  16. News: Google X's Newest Breakthrough Endeavor (and How Duke Is Involved) . Ibanca Anand . North Carolina Research Campus . January 8, 2015 . Mar 28, 2016.
  17. News: Dole Food's Buyout in 2013 Looks a Lot Like One in 2003 . Steven Davidoff Solomon . The New York Times . September 17, 2013 . Mar 28, 2016.
  18. News: Dole Food Chairman Makes $645 Million Bid to Go Private . Jack Kaskey, Simon Casey . Bloomberg Business . June 11, 2013 . Mar 28, 2016.
  19. News: Dole's CEO Got Himself Too Sweet a Deal . Matt Levine . Bloomberg View . Aug 27, 2015 . Mar 28, 2016.
  20. News: Google confirms Life Sciences as the first new company under the umbrella of Alphabet . Ben Popper . The Verge . August 21, 2015 . Mar 28, 2016.
  21. News: Google Life Sciences Rebrands as Verily . Josh Beckerman . The Wall Street Journal . Mar 28, 2016.
  22. News: Stephen Gillett begins tenure as Verily CEO . Verily . Jan 19, 2023.
  23. News: Alphabet Unit Verily to Trim More Than 200 Jobs . Miles Kruppa . The Wall Street Journal . Jan 19, 2023.
  24. News: The 25 most influential people in biopharma in 2015: Andrew Conrad – Google Life Sciences . FierceBiotech . FierceMarkets . May 13, 2015 . Mar 28, 2016.
  25. News: A Conversation With Haylynn Cohen . The Cultural Omnivore . Jan 6, 2014 . Mar 28, 2016.

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