Changing Faces

In the agency and investor worlds, August and September hires were light volume-wise, but did include big changes at the top of the totem pole for EVERSANA and Inizio.

To fill in the round-up a bit, we added a handful of notable hires at pharma and life sciences-focused law firms. Read on for more.

EVERSANA acquires Waltz Health, gets new CEO in the bargain. Following its acquisition of Waltz Health, EVERSANA appointed Mark Thierer as CEO. Previously CEO of Waltz, Thierer replaces Jim Lang, who will remain on the Board in an advisory role. The move marks a strategic integration within the global pharma services network (which is also pharmaphorum’s parent company).

Inizio brings in seasoned pharma exec for top job. A new chapter begins at Inizio with the appointment of Ryan Quigley as CEO. With more than 25 years of experience at Abbott and AbbVie, Quigley has overseen the launch of blockbuster brands across major markets, positioning him well to lead the UK-based commercialisation partner.

VML Health adds transformation expertise. To drive ambitious change agendas for pharma and health clients, VML Health has named Jason Reese as global chief transformation officer. Reese brings two decades of healthcare innovation experience to the New York-based communications and consulting firm.

LifeArc Ventures adds investor from the biotech world. Joining LifeArc Ventures as partner, Olivia Cavlan brings deep experience in corporate strategy and global business development. She previously served as chief corporate development and strategy officer at Alchemab Therapeutics, which she co-founded. LifeArc Ventures is the venture arm of LifeArc, a not-for-profit medical research organisation.

Two new leaders bring diverse experience to Flagship. The leadership team at investor and incubator Flagship Pioneering has expanded with the addition of Yvonne Hao as chief operating officer and general partner. Hao most recently served in the Massachusetts state government as Secretary of Economic Development under Governor Maura Healey. Meanwhile, at Flagship’s in-house drug development unit, Dr Mary Beth Harler has taken on the role of president. Her previous experience includes serving as CEO of IGM Biosciences and a decade at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she led immunology and fibrosis development.

Foley Hoag expands legal expertise in life sciences. Two new partners have joined Foley Hoag’s life sciences practice:

With a background in federal oversight and whistleblower protection, Hampton Dellinger brings impressive experience from his role as US Special Counsel.
Matthew Jonsen will advise biotech clients on intellectual property matters, including patent strategy and freedom-to-operate analyses.

Two more legal hires round out the round-up. Bringing over two decades of legal experience, Giuseppe Aminzade has joined BonelliErede as head of regulatory life sciences. His recent work at Hogan Lovells focused on pharma, biotech, and medical device sectors, making him a strong fit for one of Italy’s largest independent law firms. And Chris Holder, who joins Browne Jacobson as partner, has been active in the IT sector since 1991, working with the European Commission, the European Robotics Forum, and the UK Government’s AI Council.

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