The ins and outs of the life sciences: top hires for October 2022 

In this new segment from pharmaphorum, we collect the most significant hirings, firings, and recruitment stories from across the industry.

This month, we highlight new appointments from Lumeris, Lineage Cell Therapeutics, 1910 Genetics, and ADC Therapeutics. 

Ben Grabski, Lumeris

Lumeris, a value-based care managed services operator for health systems, has appointed Ben Grabski as chief financial officer.

With more than a decade of experience leading and scaling managed care organisations,

Grabski is a seasoned business leader and finance executive. Before moving to Lumeris, he held the position of Health Plan CEO for UnitedHealthcare's Upper Midwest region, where he served over 250,000 Medicare beneficiaries with $1.5 billion in revenue and 300 FTEs. He has also served as VP of Strategy and Execution, primarily responsible for adapting UHC's Medicare Advantage business to the changes from the ACA.

"It's an exciting time to be with Lumeris," said Grabski. "Our successful partnerships with healthcare systems and major provider groups demonstrate that it is possible to deliver on the promise of value-based care. As we continue to enter new markets, grow within our existing markets and reach a broader population, we continue to invest in our operations, talent and technology capabilities to support that growth."

Jill Howe, Lineage Cell Therapeutics

Clinical-stage biotechnology company, Lineage Cell Therapeutics has announced that Jill Howe will join the company as chief financial officer, effective 14 November.

Howe brings more than 20 years of significant strategic, financial, and operational experience to the role, having previously served as chief financial officer for DTx Pharma and vice president of finance and treasurer for Gossamer Bio, Inc.

In 2022, she won the CFO of the Year Award in the small business category from the San Diego Business Journal for her leadership in building and managing successful financial teams.

"Jill is a wonderful addition to our executive team as we work to establish Lineage as a leader in cell therapy and cell transplant medicine," stated Brian M Culley, Lineage CEO. "She is a successful executive with an extensive track record of execution in capital raising, strategic financial management, global expansion, and support, as well as mergers & acquisitions, and reflects the newest expansion of our team. Our continued growth will allow Lineage to exhibit greater productivity and increase the breadth of what we are able to accomplish in the months and years ahead."

Patrick Genestin, 1910 Genetics 

1910 Genetics, a biotechnology company integrating artificial intelligence (AI), computation and biological automation to accelerate the design of small molecule and protein therapeutics, has appointed Patrick Genestin as chief business officer.

Genestin brings more than 25 years of pharmaceutical business development experience to the new role, where he will be responsible for leading strategic business development partnerships with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to leverage 1910's AI-driven drug discovery platforms across all stages of preclinical drug discovery and in all major therapeutic areas.

Prior to joining 1910 Genetics, Genestin was vice president of business development and pipeline strategy at Hikma Pharmaceuticals and member of the Specialty & Generics leadership team. 

"I am excited to join 1910 Genetics at such a pivotal time for the company," Genestin said. "With its strong expertise in computation and biological automation, as well as artificial intelligence, 1910 Genetics is the partner of choice for pharmaceutical companies to accelerate drug discovery. I am excited to join such a dynamic team as we build collaborations that leverage our platforms to help our partners make undruggable targets a thing of the past."

Kristen Harrington-Smith, ADC Therapeutics 

Commercial-stage biotechnology company ADC Therapeutics has announced that Kristen Harrington-Smith will take on the role of chief commercial officer as of 17 November 2022.

As a seasoned leader in the pharma industry, she brings more than 20 years of experience to the new role. Before her appointment at ADC Therapeutics, she served as chief commercial officer at Immunogen, where she was responsible for building the commercial organisation and preparing for the launch of its first commercial product.

She has also served as vice president and head, US Haematology at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, where she led the teams responsible for a portfolio of therapies in both malignant and non-malignant hematologic diseases, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), acute myeloid leukaemia, chronic myeloid leukaemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Speaking on her new position, she said: "ADC Therapeutics is a long-standing innovative leader in the ADC space with a robust pipeline, and I am thrilled to join the company at this exciting time of growth. ZYNLONTA is well-positioned in the DLBCL market, and I have great confidence in its future growth prospect in the third-line setting, as well as the potential to expand and serve the unmet medical needs in earlier-line DLBCL patients."