Saunders and Hassan Lead 23rd Annual Gala
Founding Chair Fred Hassan (l) with Leadership Chair Brent Saunders.
Parsippany, NJ — Brent Saunders, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allergan plc., will be leading the 23rd Annual Sparkle of Hope Gala this fall together with Fred Hassan, Chairman of the Caret Group and Director of Warburg Pincus.
Planning of the event is underway with a date to be set for October 2019 and an announcement of the honoree to follow.
The Sparkle of Hope gala was founded in 1997 by pharmaceutical icon Fred Hassan and has raised $14 million in support of Community Hope. This signature event brings together the pharmaceutical industry, its leaders and business partners to ensure our nonprofit’s vital support services that complement pharmaceutical advancements in mental health treatment.
In 2017, Founding Chair Hassan turned over leadership of the event to Brent Saunders. Under Saunders’ leadership, the gala set yet another record in 2018 with nearly $1.6 million raised and 850 attendees.
In addition to Saunders and Hassan, the co-chairs of the 2019 event are Honorary Co-Chairs Mike Kaufmann, CEO of Cardinal Health, and Thomas Kendris, US Country President, US Country Head Legal and President of Novartis Corporation, both of whom were honored in 2018. Event Co-Chairs participating in this year’s event include Mark Alles, Chairman and CEO of Celgene Corporation; John Crowley, Chairman and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics; Terri Curran, President Inflammation & Immunology of Celgene Corporation; Paul Navarre, CEO of Ferring Holding Inc.; and Shaji Procida, President and Chief Operating Officer of Eisai, Inc.
Community Hope is currently accepting sponsorships for the 2019 event. Event sponsorships range from the $100,000 to the $2,500 level.
