Stephen Collins (pictured) steps up as executive president while the incumbent, Brett Hurt, moves to be vice-chairman and joins venture capital firm Austin Ventures.

In July last year, SR One and Lilly Ventures, the corporate venturing divisions of multinational pharmaceutical conglomerates GlaxoSmithKline and Eli Lilly respectively, co-led a $24m series A round for Nimbus Discovery.

He was previously chief investment officer of state-backed Innovation Works, which has a portfolio of more than 150 active venture investments, and, before that, spent 10 years as a partner with venture capital firm Draper Triangle Ventures.

Role of chief innovation officer expands.

Fate Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, has appointed Christian Weyer as their chief executive.

Vertu, a maker of expensive mobile phones incubated by Finland-based peer Nokia, hires Anssi Vanjoki as its non-executive chairman.

Tosh Arita develops Ricoh new business after Hideki Segawa moves to technology development.

The company has renamed its corporate venturing unit Volvo Group Venture Capital, headed by Johan Carlsson (pictured), to reflect its broadened mandate, which includes being able to make acquisitions and take majority stakes.