Changing Faces

It’s been a busy couple of months in the world of pharma hires as Merck KGaA and GSK both made some big changes at the top, and Sanofi and Bristol Myers Squibb posted a couple of high-profile hires as well.

Read on for all that, plus many interesting biotech moves, and stay tuned for our agency, supplier, and Board of Director round-ups coming soon.

Several leadership changes rock Merck KGaA. At the end of September, Belén Garijostepped down as CEO of Merck KGaA after a 15-year tenure with the company, six as CEO.

Taking the reins is Kai Beckmann, formerly the head of Merck’s electronics business. In addition, David Weinreich joined Merck KGaA as global head of R&D and chief medical officer, boasting a 20-year career that includes leadership roles at Regeneron, Bayer, and Amgen, and a track record of 15 approved drugs.

GSK names new CEO as Walmsley steps down. Merck’s wasn’t the only big pharma CEO transition last month. Emma Walmsleyconcluded her eight-year tenure as CEO of GSK, during which she oversaw the acquisition of Novartis’s consumer health division and its eventual spin-out as Haleon. Her leadership also marked a renewed focus on specialty medicines and vaccines. Luke Miels, previously GSK’s chief commercial officer, has been appointed as her successor. Miels brings a wealth of experience from leadership roles at AstraZeneca, Roche, and Sanofi-Aventis.

Sanofi appoints new chief medical officer. Over at Sanofi, Dr Marcia Kayath joined as chief medical officer. She was most recently SVP and global head of medical affairs at BioMarin and previously spent eight years in leadership roles at Novartis.

Bristol Myers Squibb strengthens oncology leadership. In our final morsel of big pharma news, Dr Nathan Pennell has taken on the role of SVP, worldwide head of medical affairs, hematology & oncology, at Bristol Myers Squibb. A board-certified medical oncologist with nearly 25 years of experience, Pennell was previously head of thoracic oncology and clinical research at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center. He will now lead BMS’s global oncology medical affairs programme.

Genmab taps new UK leadership. Matt Kiely has been appointed general manager for the UK at Genmab. He brings a strong commercial background, having held senior leadership roles at GSK, Takeda, and Stemline Therapeutics, where he was instrumental in building the company’s European commercial operations.

CatalYm expands executive team. German biotech CatalYm, focused on antibody therapies for solid tumours and cachexia, made a series of high-level appointments:

Heike Krupka joined as chief development officer, bringing experience from senior roles at Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and Genentech/Roche.
Clinton Musil was named chief financial officer and chief business officer. He previously held executive roles at several biotech firms, including ARMO Biosciences, which was acquired by Eli Lilly for $1.6 billion.
Dr Sujata Rao became chief medical officer, following leadership roles at Onyx, BMS, Eli Lilly/ARMO, and most recently Insilico Medicine.
Andrea Goddard took on the role of chief technology officer, having held operational and executive roles in manufacturing, technology, and quality at Roche and Genentech.

Oral BioLife builds out leadership team. Oral BioLife, a regenerative technology company based in Pennsylvania, has bolstered its executive team with three key hires:

Greg Ambra takes the helm as CEO, bringing prior experience as COO at Oral BioLife and as CEO of the CRO InQuiry Research.
Tim Glennon is in as chief commercialisation officer, with a background in launching over 15 medical devices and drugs, as well as expertise in investor relations and corporate strategy.
Mahesh Sambasivam became head of manufacturing, leveraging over two decades of experience in the medical device industry.

Aurion Biotech adds manufacturing and regulatory leaders. Aurion Biotech, which develops allogeneic cell therapies for corneal endothelial disease, has made two senior appointments. Andrew Torres joins as chief manufacturing officer, following leadership roles at Molecular Templates, Neoleukin Therapeutics, Regeneron, and GE Global Research, while Sterling Chung was named chief regulatory and quality officer. He previously held senior roles at Neoleukin, Molecular Templates, Immatics US, Seattle Genetics, Astellas, Takeda, and Abbott.

Sibylla strengthens scientific leadership. Milan-based biotech Sibylla, which focuses on targeting protein folding intermediates in drug discovery, has expanded its leadership team, appointing Stefan Ries as chief scientific officer. He brings over 20 years of experience in oncology drug discovery, including roles as CSO of DISCO Pharmaceuticals and VP of external innovation at Hoffmann-La Roche. In addition, Elena Ardini joined as VP of research and development. At Nerviano Medical Sciences, she led the pre-clinical and clinical development of Rozlytrek (entrectinib), a targeted cancer therapy for solid tumours.

Resolution Therapeutics adds business and finance Leaders. London-based regenerative medicine company Resolution Therapeutics has expanded its executive team with two key appointments. Daniel Kennedy joined as chief business officer, bringing experience from Achillion Pharmaceuticals, where he led business development and alliance management prior to its acquisition by Alexion. Lucy Singah stepped in as chief financial officer, following her tenure at Echopoint Medical and more than a decade at GSK.

Slew of biotechs name new CEOs. In the biotech world, CEO transitions were thick and fast in August and September. Here’s the rundown:

Johnny Cheng, currently CFO of HUTCHMED, has been named acting CEO following the departure of Dr Weiguo Su due to health reasons. The company, which focuses on targeted therapies and immunotherapies, will be led by Cheng during this interim period.
Sana Alajmovic, co-founder and CEO of Sigrid Therapeutics, has been appointed CEO of Swedish pharma company Enygmatica. She succeeds Claus Egstrand, who is stepping down from his operational role, but will be proposed for the company’s Board of Directors to ensure continuity.
Dr Jan H. Egberts has taken the helm at NeoVac, a London-based developer of RNA-LNP-based vaccines and therapeutics. With over 25 years of experience in pharma and medtech, Egberts most recently led his own family office, Veritas Investment.
Derek Hicks has been appointed CEO of Rezo Therapeutics. With more than 25 years of experience in business development at companies like Intellia Therapeutics, Spark Therapeutics, and Pfizer, Hicks will lead the company’s efforts in mapping disease networks for precision therapeutics.
Yasir Al-Wakeel, a physician scientist and former biotech equity analyst, has joined Vesalius Therapeutics as CEO. His background includes over $30 billion in strategic and financial transactions, as well as clinical and academic roles in the UK. Vesalius is a Flagship Pioneering company using AI to tackle common diseases.
Jim McDonald, founder of Sana Biotechnology and former SVP and chief IP officer at Juno Therapeutics, has been named CEO of Yellowstone Biosciences. The Oxford University spinout is developing soluble bispecific T-cell receptor therapies for cancer.
Mike Andriole, who led Chimerix through its $935 million acquisition by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, has joined Artios Pharma as CEO and director. The company is focused on targeting the DNA damage response in cancer.
Eric Risser, formerly COO at MacroGenics, has been promoted to president and CEO. He has led corporate development and key operational functions since 2022 at the Maryland-based cancer therapeutics company.

New CFOs across biotech and biopharma. Several companies also announced new chief financial officers this month:

George Eldridge joined Abcuro, bringing experience from Aerovate Therapeutics, where he led the company through its IPO and a reverse merger.
Thomas Gidoin became CFO at OSE Immunotherapeutics, with a background in IPOs and cross-border financing from roles at GenSight Biologics and DBV Technologies.
Mark Guerin was appointed CFO at Annovis, following his tenure at Onconova Therapeutics.
Joel Sendek joined Perspective Therapeutics, having previously served as CFO at Dewpoint, Sema4, Spero, and Forward Pharma.
Adam Mostafa took on the CFO role at Sitryx Therapeutics; he previously oversaw a reverse merger at X4 Pharmaceuticals.

Biotechs expand scientific leadership. A number of companies also added chief science and medical officers in August and September.

David Hava joined Alltrna, a Flagship Pioneering spinout focused on transfer RNA for treatment of rare diseases, as chief scientific officer. He brings nearly 20 years of experience across rare and inflammatory diseases.
Anabella Villalobos became CSO at Metaphore Biotechnologies, another Flagship company. She previously led Biotherapeutics and Medicinal Sciences at Biogen and spent 28 years at Pfizer.
Roland W. Bürli was appointed CSO at Amsterdam’s Scenic Biotech, following scientific roles at Codify Therapeutics, Cerevance, and AstraZeneca.
Dr Fawzi Benzaghou joined Parabilis Medicines as chief medical officer. He was previously SVP and global head of oncology R&D at Ipsen, where he oversaw numerous IND submissions and several major regulatory approvals. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Parabilis is developing novel peptide therapies for both rare and common cancers.

Two biotechs lawyer up. A pair of biotechs bulked up their legal teams with new leadership. Hally Gilbert joined ADC innovator Tubulis as chief legal officer. She previously served as CLO and COO at Cargo Therapeutics, where she led its IPO and sale. And Lisa Taylor Ash became chief legal officer and secretary at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a specialist in T-cell regulation therapies, following her role as COO and general counsel at Shape Therapeutics.

Allegro adds experienced COO. At Allegro, a Belgium-based biomedical company focused on nanotechnology-based treatments for degenerative joint disease, Stephan Crokaert has been appointed chief operating officer. Crokaert most recently served as global sales and market director at NeoMedLight, where he played a key role in building a global commercial network. His earlier leadership experience includes roles at Abbott and Adagio.

New HR head joins Noetik. Noetik, a San Francisco-based AI-native biotech developing precision cancer therapies, hired Lisa G Ryan as its new chief people officer. With over 25 years of experience in people leadership, she previously served in the same role at Lyell Immunopharma and spent a decade at Genentech before that.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals hires pharma vet to lead data team. Scott Cenci has taken on the role of SVP, chief information and data officer at Acadia Pharmaceuticals. With more than 25 years in the pharma and biotech industries, Cenci has held senior leadership roles at Genmab, Biogen, Zoetis, and Pfizer. Acadia, based in San Diego, focuses on treatments for neurological and rare diseases.

That’s it for our 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.