BioSpace Movers and Shakers Sept. 24

Movers and Shakers

GlaxoSmithKline – Emma Walmsley, chief executive officer of U.K.-based GlaxoSmithKline, continues to shape her leadership team. This week she snagged Boehringer Ingelheim’s Christopher Corsico to take on the role of senior vice president of development. Corsico’s last day with Boehringer Ingelheim is set for Dec. 31. At BI Corsico most recently served as the company’s chief medical officer. He has also held other positions, including U.S. Regulatory Head and Regional Medical Director for North America.

At GSK, Corsico will report to research head Hal Barron, who joined GSK at the beginning of this year.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s current Medical Director Germany, Thor Voigt, will take over Corsico’s role on October 1, 2018.

Astellas Pharma – Geoff Towle has been promoted to vice president, Oncology Marketing at Astellas U.S. In this position he will oversee building Astellas Oncology brands in large and specialty markets. He will report to Mark Reisenauer, senior vice president, Oncology Business Unit. Before, Towle was senior director, Oncology Marketing at Astellas, where he led the Xtandi marketing and branding efforts. He joined Astellas in 2011.

uBiome – Former Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez has resurfaced since his departure from the Swiss pharma giant. This week Jimenez accepted a seat on the board of directors of San Francisco-based uBiome.

BioTime – Alameda, Calif.-based BioTime, Inc. named Brian Culley the company’s new CEO. Culley succeeds Co-CEOs Adi Mohanty and Michael West. Culley most recently served as CEO of Mast Therapeutics, which merged with Savara in 2017. Culley said he hopes BioTime will lead the way in the translation of cellular therapies into approved treatments for a wide range of serious diseases and conditions.

West will now serve as the full-time CEO of AgeX. The two companies will continue to collaborate on the pluripotent stem cell platform.

Q Biomed -- Rajendra Apte has joined the Advisory Board of New York-based Q BioMed. Apte is professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. His areas of specialty include age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and vascular diseases, retinal surgery, macular holes, retinal detachments, aging, retinal neurodegeneration, inflammation and metabolism.

Metrion Biosciences – Cambridge, U.K.-based Metrion named Edward Stevens the head of drug discovery and Andrew Lightfoot as head of medicinal chemistry and discovery funding. The appointments will enable the company to expand its research into potassium ion channel inhibitors. The company is evaluating the lead compounds as potential orally active drugs for treatment of auto-immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Stevens joined Metrion from Ario Pharma, where he was Chief Scientific Officer. Prior to that, he held various roles at Pfizer Neusentis and Pfizer Sandwich. Lightfoot is currently CEO at Procarta Biosystems and in his new role at Metrion will continue in this position.

BlueRock Therapeutics – Shane Kovacs was tapped as the chief business and chief financial officer of Cambridge, Mass.-based BlueRock Therapeutics, LP. Kovacs most recently served as Managing Director and head of Biotechnology Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets in New York. Prior to RBC, he was CFO and Head of Corporate Development at PTC Therapeutics. BlueRock Therapeutics is advancing a novel Cell+Gene platform to develop, manufacture and deliver native cells with engineered functionality.

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals – Daniel C. Martin was named chief commercial officer of Waltham, Mass.-based Deciphera. The role is a newly created one at the company. Martin will be responsible for establishing the global strategy and leading the commercial organization at Deciphera. Prior to Deciphera, he served as senior vice president of commercial at Heron Therapeutics where he built the company’s commercial organization. Before Heron, Martin held commercial leadership positions at Dendreon and at Amgen.

Melinta Therapeutics – New Haven, Conn.-based Melinta Therapeutics named Peter Milligan as its new CFO. He takes over for Paul Estrem, who is retiring from Melinta on Oct. 1. Milligan most recently served as CFO of G&W Laboratories, a privately held generic pharmaceutical company where he had oversight and leadership of all financial aspects of the company. Prior to that, he was CFO of Exelis, Inc.

resTORbio, Inc. – Boston-based resTORbio named Meredith Manning chief commercial officer. Manning has more than 20 years of commercial leadership experience with companies such as Pfizer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Baxter and Shire. She most recently served as head of global product strategy lead hemophilia at Shire. Before Shire Manning held roles of increasing responsibility at Pfizer across a number of marketing and commercial roles.

Implandata Ophthalmic Products GmbH – Dominick Arenam, an executive advisor for Water Street Healthcare Partners, was named chairman of the board at Hannover, Germany-based Implandata.

Tyme Technologies, Inc. – Douglas A. Michels was named to Tyme Technologies’ board of directors. Michels most recently served as CEO of OraSure Technologies, Inc. In addition to Michels, Tyme named James Biehl as its chief legal counsel. Biehl, a member of the company’s board of directors, joined Tyme from the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. As a result of his appointment, Biehl will step down from Tyme’s board.

Kymera Therapeutics – Cambridge, Mass.-based Kymera Therapeutics named Jared Gollob to the role of Chief Medical Officer. Gollob was most recently head of Clinical Development and Global Vice President of Medical Affairs at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Alnylam, Gollob held academic positions at Harvard Medical School and Duke University School of Medicine, and was on staff at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Duke University Medical Center.

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