EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Dec. 6, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Connecticut Technology Council presented its 2013 Innovation Policy Leadership award to Governor Dannel Malloy at its Annual Meeting on December 5th at Fairfield University. The Governor and his administration have been a consistent supporter of CTC's legislative efforts during his nearly three years in office. He has shaped his economic development efforts in part by allocating several millions of dollars in support of growing the state's tech sector. A variety of programs now provide funding to various non-profit agencies who are contracted to provide services to both start-ups and more mature companies called Stage II companies. In addition, Connecticut Innovations, the state's investment arm for strategic capital investments in the high tech sector, has been given substantially more funding to increase its deal activity. CTC has been a proponent of making more capital available to CI.
The Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) also presented its annual Innovation Excellence Award to member company Alexion Pharmaceuticals on December 5 at its Annual Meeting. Alexion, a public company, is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and delivering life-transforming therapies for patients with severe and life-threatening diseases that are also ultra-rare. Its first commercial product, Soliris® (eculizumab), is the world's first and only approved terminal complement inhibitor and is approved in nearly 50 countries as a treatment for patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and in the United States, European Union, Japan and other countries as a treatment for patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Alexion is building a new corporate headquarters in downtown New Haven and will move there in 2015 when the building is completed.
Alexion joins what is now a long list of winners of CTC's Innovation Excellence Award. Previous year winners have been: ATMI, Inc of Danbury, Pitney Bowes of Stamford, FuelCell Energy of Danbury, Open Solutions Inc (now Fiserv, Inc.) of Glastonbury, Sonalysts, Inc of Waterford, United Technologies Corporation, ESPN of Bristol, Tangoe, Inc of Orange and 2012 winner Rogers Corporation.
Also honored at the 2013 CTC Annual Meeting was Patricia Fisher as 2013 Volunteer of the Year. Fisher is a CTC Board Member. Her company, JANUS Associates, located in Stamford, is a leading IT security consultancy with a large federal government client list.
| The CTC membership also elected nine new board members Thursday: |
| Brent Biernat, First Vice President, COCC |
| John Caezza, President, Access, Transport and Supplies, Arris Group |
| Nancy Hancock, Partner, Pullman & Comley LLP |
| Claire Leonardi, CEO and Executive Director, Connecticut Innovations |
| Austin McCord, Founder & CEO, Datto Inc. |
| Bruce Plumley, Executive Director, Hardware Engineering, Gerber Technology |
| John Siemon, CTO, The Siemon Co. |
| Eleanor Tandler, Founder & CEO NovaTract Surgical |
| Stewart Tosh, Vice President, First Niagara Bank |
About the Connecticut Technology Council, www.ct.org
The Connecticut Technology Council is the state's industry association for the technology sector. CTC's mission is to "connect people, ideas and opportunities to the global technology and innovation community." CTC provides members with business assistance and specialized programs, in addition to promoting and supporting public policies that position Connecticut to have a globally recognized "culture of innovation" that helps attract great ideas and entrepreneurs to in turn develop new jobs and wealth for the state.