Changing Faces - Pharma and Biotech Hires - March 2025

We saw relatively few leadership-level hires in the month of March, but those that did cross our desk represent a cross-section of important biotech leadership roles.

Sutro changes up leadership. As we mentioned in our earlier reporting, Jane Chung has been appointed CEO at Sutro Biopharma, a San Francisco company specialising in antibody-drug conjugates. Chung, who previously served as president and chief operating officer at Sutro, replaced Bill Newell as the company began the process of reducing staff and closing a GMP-compliant manufacturing facility for luvelta, its unsuccessful lead drug for ovarian cancer.

Biotechs tap new leaders on business side.Three companies added to their C-Suite in top finance and business roles.

• French biotech Vect-Horus, which designs and develops vectors to facilitate targeting and delivery of therapeutic or imaging agents to organs and tumours, brought on Carole Imbert as chief financial officer.
   
• iOnctura, an Amsterdam-based precision oncology company focused on neglected and hard-to-treat cancers, welcomed Elizabeth Holt as chief business officer. Holt brings valuable experience having co-founded Aiolos Bio Inc, which GSK acquired for $1.4 billion. She also played a key role in Gyroscope Therapeutics' acquisition by Novartis in a deal worth up to $1.5 billion.
   
• Tenpoint Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company working on treatments to rejuvenate vision in the ageing eye, appointed Carol Kearney as chief commercial officer. Kearney brings marketing and leadership experience from Lumanity, Pfizer, and Bausch + Lomb.

Big pharma vet joins Cardurion in HR top job. Cardurion Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech developing new therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases, appointed Karen Lewis as chief people officer. Lewis most recently served in the same capacity at Apellis Pharmaceuticals and previously held human resources leadership positions at Biogen and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Three C-Suite appointments bolster business development.Three more biotechs added new leadership in March in development roles.

• Swedish biotech Asgard Therapeutics, a privately held company pioneering in vivo direct cell reprogramming for cancer immunotherapy, welcomed Shane Olwill as chief development officer. Olwill brings over two decades of expertise in immunology-driven drug discovery with a particular specialisation in novel modalities.
   
• Pericles Calias took on the role of chief development officer and head of R&D at Sernova, a biotech based in Boston and London, Ontario, working on cell therapies for chronic diseases with a novel delivery system. Prior to this appointment, Calias held leadership positions at Revolo Biotherapeutics, Cerecor Inc., Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, and Shire HGT.
   
• PE-backed specialty pharma company Kelso Pharma appointed Giovanni Mauri as general manager of its recently acquired Italian medical device and pharma company Velit Biopharma. Mauri joins with business development experience from previous roles at Bausch + Lomb and NTC Pharma.

Key appointments boost clinical development and research expertise.Several biotechs also made C-Suite appointments on the science side of the business.

• Immuneering, a Cambridge, Massachusetts clinical-stage oncology company developing more effective and better-tolerated cancer therapies, appointed Dr Igor Matushansky as chief medical officer. Matushansky comes with 13 years of experience across Ipsen, Daiichi Sankyo, and Novartis, most recently serving as CMO at Sail Biomedicines.
   
• Dr Lisa Von Moltke joined Zenas Biopharma as head of research and development and chief medical officer. The Waltham, Massachusetts clinical-stage biopharma, which develops novel therapies for autoimmune disease patients, will benefit from Von Moltke's 30-year background including positions at Seres Therapeutics, Alkermes, Sanofi/Genzyme, and Takeda's Millennium.
   
• UK biotech Mestag Therapeutics, which focuses on novel therapies for cancer and inflammatory diseases, appointed Dr Matthew Sleeman as chief scientific officer. Sleeman's career includes involvement in the research and development of six FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies. He’s worked at Regeneron, Medimmune, and Cambridge Antibody Technology.

Specialty pharma adds regulatory muscle. Mario Guralnik joined Aspargo Labs, a New York specialty pharma and med tech company, as chief regulatory officer. Aspargo focuses on converting existing medications to liquid oral suspensions delivered via a connected device. Guralnik founded Synergy Research after building his career at Amgen.

TScan recruits market access executive.TScan Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech from Waltham, Massachusetts focused on T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cell therapies for cancer treatment, appointed Stephen Camiolo as SVP Market Access. Camiolo previously served as vice president of national cell therapy account teams at Iovance Biotherapeutics, where he led his team in the strategic launch of AMTAGVI, the first cell therapy to treat solid tumour cancer.

That’s it for this hires round-up, but stay tuned for our other categories and remember, you can send your own hires to editorial@pharmaphorum.com for inclusion in this column.