OREANDA-NEWS. uniQure N.V., a leader in human gene therapy, today announced the appointment of Maria E. Cantor as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications. Ms. Cantor joins the Company from ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where she most recently held the role of Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs. With over 20 years of experience in communications in the biotech and healthcare industry, she will lead external communications for uniQure, including investor relations, media and digital communications, and corporate image and branding. She will serve as a member of the Company's senior management team and will be based in its Lexington, Massachusetts facility.

"Maria is a highly regarded leader in defining the long-term value proposition of some of the most successful companies in our industry, and she is an exciting addition to the senior management team at uniQure," said Dan Soland, Chief Executive Officer of uniQure. "Her substantial experience in developing integrated, global and strategic communication programs will be very valuable as we continue to advance our broad pipeline of gene therapies through clinical development and towards commercialization."

"Being a part of shaping the future of gene therapy and helping to bring these potentially transformational therapies to patients around the world is a unique opportunity," said Ms. Cantor. "I look forward to working with the uniQure team in the U.S. and in Europe to support the next stage of the Company's development and to help build shareholder value."

At ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Ms. Cantor was a member of the senior management team and had been responsible for investor relations and corporate communications for the company since 2008. She played an active role in several successful financing rounds for ARIAD and led the communications program for the clinical development, regulatory approval and product launch of the company's first cancer therapeutic Iclusig® (ponatinib) approved in both the U.S. and Europe. Prior to joining ARIAD, she held the position of Senior Director, Corporate Communications at Genzyme, where she was involved in all aspects of corporate and product communications from 2001 to 2008. In addition to her extensive expertise as a communicator for leading biotechnology companies, Ms. Cantor also held senior communications positions within the healthcare industry including Director, Marketing and Public Relations at the St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston, and as Director, Marketing and Communications at Optima Healthcare Inc. in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Ms. Cantor holds a Master of Science in Communications Management from Syracuse University, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in Syracuse, New York and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication/Broadcast Journalism from Emerson College in Boston.