Biopharma companies make key appointments to fill leadership positions. Let’s take a look!
Bicycle Therapeutics – U.K.-based Bicycle Therapeutics tapped Pfizer veteran Phil Jeffrey as its new head of pre-clinical development. Jeffrey will use the company’s proprietary bicyclic peptide product platform to develop potential treatments for cancer and other diseases. Jeffrey most recently served as head of translational sciences at Pfizer in Boston, where he was responsible for shaping translational science strategy across all stages of the rare disease research unit portfolio. Prior to Pfizer, he held a range of senior positions in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics and translational sciences at GlaxoSmithKline.
Harpoon Therapeutics – South San Francisco-based Harpoon Therapeutics named Georgia L. Erbez as its chief financial officer. Erbez previously served as chief business officer and CFO of Zosano Pharma, a therapeutics company focused on migraine. She also served as CFO of Asterias Biotherapeutics, as well as CFO of Raptor Pharmaceutical. Additionally, Harpoon promoted Holger Wesche from head of research to chief scientific officer. Wesche joined Harpoon Therapeutics in 2015 as vice president of research. He was previously a scientific director at Amgen where he was responsible for the company’s next-generation T cell engager efforts. Prior to Amgen, Wesche held a leadership role in drug discovery and cell signaling research at Tularik.
Casebia Therapeutics – Adel Nada has been named the first chief medical officer of Cambridge, Mass.-based Casebia Therapeutics. Nada will serve as CMO and head of translational science and clinical development. He will lead development activities from pre-clinical development through clinical development. Most recently, Nada served as head of clinical development at Intellia Therapeutics. Prior to Intellia, Nada was head of immunotherapy at Caladrius Bioscience of New York (previously known at NeoStem). He also held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility at Abbott Laboratories, including serving as medical director of several clinical development teams.
Leading Biosciences -- Jim Neal and James Sapirstein have been named to the board of directors for Carlsbad, Calif.-based Leading Biosciences. The additions of are expected to provide the company with broad life science industry expertise as the company continues its ongoing Phase II clinical trial of LB1148, its lead therapeutic candidate. Neal currently serves as chief executive officer and board member for XOMA Corporation. (Prior to XOMA, Neal served as acting CEO of Entelos, Inc., a leader in bio-simulation. He was CEO at Iconix Biosciences at the time it was acquired by Entelos in 2007. Sapirstein most recently served as CEO and board member for ContraVir Pharmaceuticals. Prior to ContraVir, Sapirstein was CEO of Alliqua Therapeutics. He has also previously served as the founding CEO of Tobira Therapeutics, as well as executive vice president, metabolic and endocrinology for Serono Laboratories.
Axial Biotherapeutics – Boston-based Axial Biotherapeutics named Jeffrey Young as the company’s first CFO. Young most recently served as CFO, treasurer and secretary at Juniper Pharma, where he played an instrumental role in Juniper’s acquisition by Catalent. Prior to that, Young served as CFO and treasurer of OvaScience. He also held roles at TransMedics and Lantheus Medical Imaging. In addition to Young’s appointment, Axial also named Dennis Yamashita as head of medicinal chemistry. Yamashita held various leadership roles at GSK, ORIC, and Trevena.
Centogene -- Oved Amitay was named chief business officer for Germany-based Centogene, a company focused on rare disease genetics. As CBO, Amitay will have overall responsibility for the company´s pharmaceutical industry programs, including enhancing existing partnerships and establishing new collaborations. Prior to Centogene, Amitay served as president and chief operating officer for Arrett Neuroscience. Prior to Arrett, he was head of commercial for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Amitay also had a long tenure at Sanofi Genzyme, where he was in charge of the company’s strategic development initiatives.
Oxurion NV – Oxurion NV, the Belgium-based company that was formerly known as ThromboGenics NV, named Adrienne Graves to its board of directors. Graves replaces Paul Howes on the board. Graves is a board member of multiple companies and organizations including Akorn, Inc., NicOx, the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, the Glaucoma Research Foundation, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. She was the president and CEO of Santen, Inc., the U.S. arm of Japan’s largest ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Prior to Santen, she was the director of international ophthalmology at Alcon Laboratories, Inc.
Kernel -- Hooman Mohseni has joined Kernel as chief technology officer (CTO) and will direct engineering, physics, photonics, signal processing, and neuroscience teams developing non-invasive technologies at the California-based company. Mohseni brings to Kernel 25 years of expertise in solid-state quantum devices, materials science, and photonics, the company said in a statement.
Ferring Pharmaceuticals -- Michel Pettigrew, president of the executive board and COO of Switzerland-based Ferring Pharmaceuticals, will retire from the company effective Dec. 31. Pettigrew joined the company in 2001. CSO Per Falk will assume additional responsibility as president of the executive committee on Jan. 1, 2019.
SemaThera Inc. – Montreal-based SemaThera Inc., named Garth Cumberlidge the company’s new president and CEO. Cumberlidge will also hold a seat on the company’s board of directors. He will lead the company’s development programs in diabetic macular edema and other degenerative retinopathies. Maxime Ranger, general partner at AmorChem, who was interim CEO of SemaThera, will continue to serve as chairman.
