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A graduate of Furman University and the University of South Carolina is set to take the helm of Swiss medical technology company Novocure in January, becoming its first woman CEO.

The Root-based company manufactures a device that uses electrical fields to treat glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. And it hopes to tackle other cancers as well. 

“I am excited to take on the role of CEO at this pivotal time as we look to expand the reach of Tumor Treating Fields therapy across multiple solid tumor indications,” said Ashley Cordova, 45. “We’re at such an exciting inflection point.” 

Founded in 2002, Novocure doesn’t deliver therapy “via a drug or a little white pill,” she said. Instead, its FDA-approved wearable portable device delivers electric fields to the area of the tumor where they interfere with the cancer cells’ ability to grow, she said.

More than 30,000 patients have used the therapy so far, she said, adding that about 4,000 are on active therapy at any one time. The longer the patient wears the device, the longer their survival, she said.

Cordova said that in Novocure’s clinical trial, 43 percent of glioblastoma patients were still alive at two years, compared with 31 percent who were on chemotherapy alone. And more than 13 percent were alive at five years compared to 5 percent on chemo, she added.

Novocure is focused on aggressive cancers like glioblastoma that have been challenging to treat with a goal of extending survival even more, she said. Currently, she said, it has an application before the FDA for non-small cell lung cancer with an eye on adding pancreatic cancer later this year.

“We are established in glioblastoma, but we’re on the cusp of being a … treatment … for all solid tumors,” she said. “Our dream is to continue to extend survival … for as many patients as possible.”

The device is covered by most insurance, she said.

With Novocure since 2014, Cordova has been Chief Financial Officer since 2020, responsible for global oversight of the company’s revenue and financial operations and investor relations. Before that, she worked at Zoetis Inc. and Pfizer Inc. 

She will replace Asaf Danziger, the CEO since 2002, who will retire at the end of this year. He will continue as a senior advisor into 2026 and on the company’s board of directors.

“I am confident that under Ashley’s leadership, Novocure is well positioned to achieve great things,” Danziger said.

Today, the company boasts more than $500 million in annual global sales and more than 1,500 employees. 

And Executive Chairman William Doyle said Cordova’s “strategic vision, commitment to our mission, and proven track record of operational excellence position her perfectly to drive Novocure’s next stage of growth.”

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Cordova said she attended Furman to study music. 

She graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in music and business, adding that with the support and connections that Furman provided in the Engaged Learning Program, she had an internship with an opera producer in New York, where she managed the financial side of the production.  

There, she realized she should go back to school for more a solid business education, she said, and attended the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, where she earned her International Master of Business Administration in 2005.

Patrick Rice, Major Gifts Development Officer for Furman, said he’s worked with Cordova over the years around fundraising efforts for the school. 

“From what I know, Ashley had a wonderful experience at Furman, and she continues to be a wonderful supporter of the university,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know her.”

And Wesley Culberson, now an associate professor in the Department of Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, met Cordova when they were both freshmen at Furman.

Still friends today, he remembers her as an A student, an impressive bassoon player, and someone who was always involved in a leadership role on campus.

“Ashley had a lot of friends, and I was happy to be one of them,” he recalls. “She was always up for an adventure and for trying new things.” 

One of those adventures was participating in an intense weekend camping trip as part of a leadership program called Outward Bound which involved spending one night in the woods alone, he said. 

“It was quite memorable, and she handled it well,” Culberson said. 

The two have stayed in touch since college and even attended each other’s weddings, he said, calling her a kind and thoughtful person.

“She and I still write each other handwritten letters to catch up on our lives,” he said. “That's probably something that not many CEOs do these days.”

Married with two teenagers, Cordova currently lives outside Philadelphia and is preparing to move to Zurich.

In addition to expanding to other cancers, she said the company hopes to make the therapy device smaller so it can be worn even more hours a day.  

“If we can make it smaller and easier to use, people can live longer,” she said. “And extending survival in this case, it’s an exciting place to be.”