Changing Faces: Pharma and biotech hires, May 2026

Looking back to May, the pharma and biotech sector saw a steady stream of senior leadership changes this month, spanning big pharma, emerging biotech, and research organisations.

From high-profile CEO appointments to strategic commercial and regulatory hires, companies continued to strengthen their leadership benches to support growth, innovation, and pipeline development.

BI adds experienced corporate affairs exec. Boehringer Ingelheim appointed Christie Bloomquist as SVP, corporate affairs, human pharma US, bringing extensive experience in government affairs and corporate strategy. She most recently served as VP of US strategy and government affairs at Astellas Pharma US, following more than a decade at AstraZeneca where she held the role of VP of US corporate affairs and government affairs.

AbbVie promotes new UK chief. At AbbVie, Kelly Sanderson Schrems stepped into the role of UK VP and general manager. Schrems brings 13 years of experience within AbbVie, having worked across commercial, operational, and strategic leadership roles in both the US and Europe. Most recently, she served as VP of commercial operations for the company’s oncology franchise.

Sensorion taps AZ vet to lead. Sensorion named Fred Chereau as CEO, following his role at Alexion – AstraZeneca Rare Disease, where he was SVP of strategy and business development. His career has also included leading LogicBio Therapeutics as president and CEO through its acquisition by Alexion in 2022. Sensorion is focused on developing therapies to restore, treat, and prevent hearing loss disorders.

ArgenX CCO takes helm. ArgenX, a biotech with a focus on severe autoimmune diseases, confirmed Karen Massey as CEO. Having joined the Netherlands-based global immunology company as chief operating officer in March 2023, she succeeds co-founder Tim Van Hauwermeiren, who has led the company since 2008.

New CEO at ablation-focused biotech. At Theromics, which is advancing minimally invasive cancer treatments through ablation therapeutics, Andrew C. Zeringue took on the CEO role, bringing a wealth of experience from companies developing interventional oncology and thermal ablation products. His previous leadership roles included positions at Quantum Surgical, NeuWave Medical (Ethicon, part of Johnson & Johnson), BTG (acquired by Boston Scientific), and AngioDynamics.

Artios builds out core leadership in business, legal, and regulatory. Artios Pharma, which is developing therapies targeting the DNA damage response in cancer, strengthened its executive team with three key appointments:

• Jeremy B. Fitch joined as chief business officer after more than 30 years at Eli Lilly, where he held roles spanning operations, finance, and corporate business development.
• Michael A. Alrutz was named General Counsel, bringing experience from his previous position as SVP, General Counsel, and chief compliance officer at Chimerix, where he played a central role in the company’s $935 million all-cash merger with Jazz Pharmaceuticals.
• Guy C. Ruble took on the role of VP, regulatory affairs, having most recently led regulatory work at Iovance Biotherapeutics, including the FDA-accelerated approval of AMTAGVI (lifileucel). He also spent 23 years at Lilly.

AstronauTx strengthens clinical and development leadership. London-based AstronauTx made two senior appointments to support its focus on neurological disorders by improving sleep architecture. Dr Michelle Melion joined as chief medical officer, bringing prior experience as CMO at PepGen and EveryONE Medicines, as well as earlier roles at Biogen, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Fulcrum Therapeutics. She was joined by Deb Gouveia, who took on the role of VP of clinical operations and development strategy.

Sarah Cannon Research Institute expands oncology expertise. The Sarah Cannon Research Institute made two notable appointments to further its work in community-based oncology trials. Shaolin Paul was named chief financial officer, having previously served as CFO for Sarah Cannon Research Institute UK and assistant VP of cancer services for HCA Healthcare UK. In addition, Dr Krish Patel was appointed executive director of haematologic cancer research. A board-certified specialist in internal medicine, medical oncology, and haematology, Patel also serves as a medical oncologist at SCRI Oncology Partners.

Research and non-profit organisations add strategic and medical leadership. Two more research groups made notable hires. The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) appointed John A. T. Young as chief strategy officer. Young joined from Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), where he served as VP and global head of infectious diseases and later led pandemic preparedness efforts. At the Gates Medical Research Institute, Dr Charles Wells was appointed chief medical officer and head of development, a role he was serving in an interim capacity. An infectious diseases specialist with experience across public, private, and non-profit sectors, Wells joined Gates MRI in 2019.

Four more notable biotech hires. In both commercial and scientific spheres, there were several more hires worth mentioning.

• Artiva Biotherapeutics named Dr Diego Miralles as president and head of R&D. With more than two decades of experience spanning Johnson & Johnson, Tibotec, Adaptive Biotechnologies, and CEO roles at Vividion Therapeutics and Laronde, Miralles brought substantial expertise to the company’s work developing cell therapies for autoimmune diseases.
• In the commercial arena, MBX Biosciences appointed Mark Soued as chief commercial officer, having previously served as SVP, head of US, and SVP, head of global commercial at Analyam Pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Verastem Oncology named Daniel Lyons as chief commercial officer, who brings experience from SpringWorks Therapeutics, where he led rare tumours internationally and global market access. Verastem continues to focus on therapies targeting RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers.
• OS Therapies appointed Dr Craig Eagle as chief medical advisor, adding a seasoned oncology physician-executive with experience across global medical affairs, biomarker development, and clinical strategy. His previous roles at Guardant Health, Genentech, and Pfizer inform the company’s work in osteosarcoma and other solid tumours.
• Finally, Infinitopes named Dr Jo Brewer as chief scientific officer. A recognised leader in cancer immunotherapy and cell therapy, Brewer had already been serving as a non-executive director since March 2025, and now steps into an operational leadership role at the UK-based precision immuno-oncology company.

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