CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , an innovative cancer drug discovery and development company, announced today the appointments of Gerald Quirk, J.D. as Vice President and General Counsel; Steven Kafka, Ph.D. as Vice President, Strategic Product Planning and Finance; and John Evans as Manager, Investor Relations and Business Development. These key strategic hires are designed to support priority areas for Infinity in its new status as a public company following the completion of its reverse merger with Discovery Partners International, Inc. last week.
Gerald Quirk, J.D., has joined Infinity as Vice President and General Counsel, bringing with him 12 years’ experience representing biotechnology companies in connection with securities offerings and SEC compliance activities, mergers and acquisitions, licensing and collaboration agreements, and product commercialization initiatives. Prior to joining Infinity, Mr. Quirk served in a number of progressively responsible legal and business development positions at Genzyme Corporation, having most recently been responsible for the provision of all non-patent legal services to Genzyme’s oncology, biosurgery, and cardiovascular divisions. Mr. Quirk began his career as an associate in the business law department and biotechnology practice group at Palmer & Dodge LLP, a Boston law firm. He earned his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, an Ed.M. in Educational Administration from Harvard University, and a B.A. in Political Science from Swarthmore College.
Steven Kafka, Ph.D., has joined Infinity as Vice President, Strategic Product Planning and Finance, responsible for corporate financial planning and analysis, new product marketing, and portfolio management. Dr. Kafka joined Infinity from Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where he led the Financial Planning and Analysis group and served as a member of the VELCADE(R) leadership team where he helped to establish and oversee the product’s commercial and development strategy. Dr. Kafka previously worked as a consultant with Strategic Decisions Group (SDG), where he led efforts such as portfolio integration for the merger of two global pharmaceutical firms, portfolio strategy for the Japanese assets of a global pharmaceutical firm, and product development strategy across multiple therapeutic areas. Dr. Kafka holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University and an A.B. with Honors in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University.
John Evans has joined Infinity as Manager, Investor Relations and Business Development. He is responsible for leading Infinity’s investor and public relations function and will also be working on business development and strategic planning. Mr. Evans joins Infinity from McKinsey & Company’s pharmaceuticals and medical products practice, where he was most recently a Senior Associate. While at McKinsey, Mr. Evans consulted on corporate strategy issues for leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including mergers and acquisitions, licensing, R&D productivity, and commercial strategy. Mr. Evans previously held positions in the corporate development group at MedImmune, Inc. and in the biologicals division at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. He received his M.B.A. in Healthcare Management from the Wharton School of Business, a Masters in Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. from Yale University.
“We are pleased to announce these three important additions to the Infinity team,” said Adelene Q. Perkins, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Infinity. “Each person brings significant talent and experience at this meaningful juncture for Infinity as a newly public company. Their addition to the team reflects Infinity’s ongoing commitment to building an exceptional biotechnology company.”
About Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Infinity is an innovative cancer drug discovery and development company that is seeking to leverage its strength in small molecule drug technologies to discover, develop, and deliver to patients first-in-class or best-in-class medicines for the treatment of cancer and related conditions. For more information on Infinity, please refer to the company’s website at http://www.ipi.com.
Contacts: Investors: John Evans Media: Monique Allaire 617.453.1254 617.453.1105 John.Evans@ipi.comMonique.Allaire@ipi.com
Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CONTACT: John Evans (Investors), +1-617-453-1254, John.Evans@ipi.com; orMonique Allaire (Media), +1-617-453-1105, Monique.Allaire@ipi.com, both ofInfinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Web site: http://www.ipi.com/
