Global FSHD Innovation Hub Expands Board to Strengthen Leadership and Impact

RANDOLPH, Mass., Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global FSHD Innovation Hub, an initiative by the FSHD Society to accelerate the development of therapies for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), has announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Directors: Neil Camarta, Stuart Lai, Mel Hayes, and Hans Van Bylen. Their appointments reflect the Hub's continued growth and its expanding role in advancing its offerings to industry groups and building collaboration to bring FSHD treatments to patients more quickly.

Neil Camarta is a chemical engineer and member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering who has held senior leadership positions across the oil and gas industry. He co-founded Western Hydrogen and Enlighten Innovations, two cleantech start-ups focused on green fuel and grid-scale battery technologies. He also co-founded the FSHD Canada Foundation, Solve FSHD, and Project Mercury, and brings extensive knowledge in driving global progress in FSHD research.

Stuart Lai brings more than 30 years of experience in software engineering and data infrastructure from leading financial and technology firms, including Goldman Sachs, Refinitiv, and Crux Informatics. A computer and electrical engineer, he has built large-scale systems that support global analytics and data access. As Chair of the FSHD Society's Patient Access and Advocacy Committee, and a new member of the Board of the Global FSHD Innovation Hub, Lai combines his deep technical expertise with a personal commitment to improving access and outcomes for people living with FSHD.

Mel Hayes has over three decades of executive leadership experience in building and leading successful commercial and development organizations at major pharmaceutical and biotech companies including Bristol Myers Squibb, Bayer, Baxter/Baxalta, Bioverativ/Sanofi, and Fulcrum Therapeutics. Hayes also serves on the Board of Directors of the FSHD Society and serves as an advisor to several privately held companies in biotech.  With a strong record in rare disease launches and corporate strategy, he brings valuable expertise in advocacy and commercialization that supports the Hub's ability to translate research into real-world impact. 

Hans Van Bylen is a global business leader with more than three decades of executive experience in the consumer goods and chemical industries. A former CEO of Henkel, he led major acquisitions and strategic growth initiatives that expanded the company's international reach. He was President of the German Chemical Industry Association, and has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, including Ecolab, GfK, the European Round Table of Industrialists and the Consumer Goods Forum. He is currently Chairman of Ontex and Etex and a board member of Lanxess and AkzoNobel. His leadership and global perspective will strengthen the Hub's mission to advance FSHD drug development.

"The Hub is building the collaborative infrastructure needed to accelerate FSHD drug development worldwide," said Mark Stone, Chair of the Board of the Global FSHD Innovation Hub and Chief Executive Officer of the FSHD Society. "We look forward to seeing the experience and insight of our new Board members help us advance faster and smarter toward treatments that change the lives of FSHD families."

About the Global FSHD Innovation Hub

The Global FSHD Innovation Hub is a wholly owned subsidiary of the FSHD Society, the world's leading research-focused patient organization for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). The Hub serves as a global platform that connects biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and advocacy partners with data and resources to accelerate therapy development for FSHD. Learn more at FSHDSolutions.com.

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SOURCE Global FSHD Innovation Hub