Apollomics, Inc. Strengthens Leadership with Key Hires

  • Wilson W. Cheung, CPA appointed Chief Financial Officer
  • Debra L. Thoma Vallner, PhD, MBA named Senior Vice President, Development Operations

Foster City, CA, and Hangzhou, China, 16 January 2019 — Apollomics, Inc., an innovative biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of oncology combination therapies, today announced the appointments of Wilson W. Cheung, CPA and Debra L. Thoma Vallner, PhD, MBA to the Company’s management team. Mr. Cheung has joined as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Dr. Vallner was named Senior Vice President, Development Operations.

“On the heels of our financing, we are pleased to announce the hiring of Wilson and Debra whose individual expertise will be crucial to the growth of Apollomics,” stated Guo-Liang Yu, PhD, Chief Executive Officer. “Wilson brings over 25 years of experience in finance, compliance, and corporate leadership at both private and public companies with a proven track record managing organizations with a presence in the U.S. and China. As CFO, his responsibilities will include managing the company’s financial planning and reporting, accounting, tax and treasury functions, as well as investor relations.”

Sanjeev Redkar, PhD, President, stated, “Over the course of her thirty-year career, Debra has headed operations for several clinical departments and led all aspects of development including the filings and approvals of several assets. At Apollomics, she will assist in defining development strategy, guiding clinical protocol design, and leading our expanding clinical trial portfolio. We are grateful to have Wilson and Debra join our team and expect their contributions will be invaluable as we advance our oncology programs.”

Wilson W. Cheung, CPA

Prior to Apollomics, Mr. Cheung was CFO of KBP BioSciences, a clinical stage biotechnology company, and an Independent Director of SciClone Pharmaceuticals International Limited, a China-based US-listed specialty pharmaceutical company. At SciClone, Mr. Cheung was Senior Vice President and CFO where he helped turn around the company’s compliance culture and drove the company’s growth and profitability which led to a successful sale. Previously, he served in various positions at Velti plc, a global mobile marketing software-as-a-service provider, and led their Nasdaq Initial Public Offering as CFO. Prior to Velti, Mr. Cheung served as CFO at AXT, Inc., a California-based, publicly traded manufacturer of high-performance semiconductor substrates with heavy China operations. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he began his career in public accounting with KPMG LLP and Deloitte LLP. Mr. Cheung holds a B.A. degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and is a Certified Director of Corporate Governance from UCLA’s Executive Program. He is a member of the Financial Executives Institute and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and he is a California CPA (inactive).

Debra L. Thoma Vallner, PhD, MBA

Dr. Vallner brings over thirty years of senior drug development and operational expertise to Apollomics. Most recently, she was a Vice President of Development Operations at eFFECTOR Therapeutics where she built and directed the overall development organization. Previously, she was VP, Clinical Operations of Anacor Pharmaceuticals where she had oversight for the Clinical Operations department. Prior to Anacor, Dr. Vallner was VP, Clinical Operations at Anthera Pharmaceuticals where she restructured and directed the clinical operations department and was responsible for operational management of clinical trials.  She has also worked in the non-profit sector at the Institute for One World Health where she was the VP, Clinical Development. Earlier in her career, Dr. Vallner held senior leadership positions at Roche, Nektar Therapeutics, Exelixis, and InteKrin Therapeutics. Dr. Vallner received her PhD in toxicology/pharmacology and her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology/chemistry from West Virginia University. She also holds her Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University.

About Apollomics, Inc.

Apollomics, Inc., incubated by OrbiMed Asia at inception, is an innovative biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of oncology combination therapies that harness the immune system and target specific molecular pathways to eradicate cancer. The company’s existing pipeline consists of six development-stage assets including three novel, humanized monoclonal antibodies that restore the body’s immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells, and three targeted therapies against uncontrolled growth signaling pathways. For more information, please visit www.apollomicsinc.com.

Contact:
Remy Bernarda
Corporate Communications
(415) 203-6386
remy.bernarda@apollomicsinc.com

Back to news