Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc. has tapped pharmaceutical industry veteran Chris Watters as its vice president of corporate development.

The company also announced the departure of its Chipher Canada general manager and president Joan Chypyha.  

Watters, who has 19 years of leadership, marketing sales and business development experience in the pharmaceutical field, will join the company from GlaxoSmithKline, where he led the company’s commercial sales and operations team, according to a press release.

“We are pleased to add Chris to our senior team to lead our expanded corporate development function,” Cipher president and CEO Robert Tessarolo said in a the release. “Chris brings a terrific history of leadership and high performance across diverse therapeutic areas and pharmaceutical businesses. We expect business development to be central to our growth plans moving forward,” said Tessarolo.

Watters’ experience includes serving as vice president of marketing for Biovail Pharmaceuticals Canada. He also was senior vice president of marketing at Goba Sports Group, where he handled the company’s global marketing, new product development, business development and corporate strategy.

Additionally, the company’s general manager and president of Cipher Canada, Chyphyha, has vacated her position, according to the release.

“We thank Joan for her leadership in establishing Cipher’s initial Canadian commercial platform and wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” Tessarolo said in the statement.