Fred Blakeslee joined Galapagos as General Counsel and member of the Executive Committee in October 2025. He is a highly accomplished legal executive with extensive experience leading legal functions in the biopharmaceutical industry. Fred served as Vice President, Transactions, Legal at AbbVie Inc., where he led legal teams supporting global business development and alliance management. In this role, he was responsible for complex mergers, acquisitions, licensing, and collaborations, including AbbVie’s landmark $63 billion acquisition of Allergan PLC and numerous high-profile partnerships with companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Immunogen, and Genmab. Fred was a trusted advisor on government affairs, antitrust, and corporate strategy, and he played a key role in creating the AbbVie Legal Academies, promoting opportunities for law students at historically black colleges and universities. He also served on AbbVie’s PAC Board of Directors and was actively involved in industry-wide advocacy efforts. He began his career at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and later held senior roles at leading law firms, advising on private equity, corporate, and securities transactions across the biopharmaceutical and other industries. Fred earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He also holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Political Science, magna cum laude, from The Ohio State University. Fred is based in Chicago, Illinois, and has conversational proficiency in French.
