Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Conor Hale, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.
Enzyvant finds new CEO in former Alexion exec
Enzyvant
Industry veteran Rachelle Jacques was named CEO.
Jacques, most recently a senior VP at Alexion, will take over from Alvin Shih, the former Retrophin R&D head who signed on to Enzyvant in November 2016. Before overseeing the complement group at Alexion as a global franchise head, Jacques worked at Baxter, Baxalta and Shire. She joins Enzyvant as it works on its rolling BLA for RVT-802, its lead tissue-based therapy for primary immunodeficiency associated with congenital athymia. FierceBiotech
Arix reappoints CEO five months after launching hunt for replacement
Arix Bioscience
Joe Anderson himself back in charge of the company.
Co-founder Anderson had stepped down as CEO in September to take up the chief investment officer position, kicking off a hunt for a replacement that ended up where it began. In explaining the about-face, Arix has “benefited from Joe’s focus as CIO over the recent months and the changes announced today build on this,” said executive chairman Jonathan Peacock, who ran Arix in the interim. Anderson had led Arix as it built up a biotech portfolio including Autolus and Harpoon Therapeutics, and helped bring the company public in London. FierceBiotech
MorphoSys CEO Simon Moroney announces his retirement
MorphoSys
Co-founder Simon Moroney plans to retire as CEO in June 2020 at the latest.
Moroney, who helped launch the cancer-focused biotech in 1992, was named its CEO in 1994. In a statement, he said he was looking forward to "exploring new opportunities." MorphoSys raised $208 million through its IPO listing in April of last year, topping its $150 million goal, to help develop a CD19 antibody that it believes can compete with CAR-T therapies. The company is aiming to secure FDA approval and bring its therapy to market in the first half of next year. FierceBiotech
Ex-Horizon Discovery CEO Darrin Disley is taking the reins at the Cambridge, U.K.-based cell therapy startup Cell Mogrify, after participating in its seed round for research into the direct reprogramming of mature cell types. FierceBiotech
Pfizer’s neuroscience spinoff, Cerevel Therapeutics, is bringing on Otsuka’s Raymond Sanchez to serve as its new chief medical officer and take its Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy programs into phase 3. At Otsuka, Sanchez helped oversee its CNS, oncology and cardio-renal portfolios, most recently as senior VP of global clinical development. FierceBiotech
Amid investor pressure to split up its CEO and chairman roles, Allergan said it would support a resolution to split up the jobs. However, the changes wouldn't take effect until the big pharma's next CEO rotation—meaning current leader Brent Saunders would keep wearing both hats. FiercePharma
Phio Pharmaceuticals has named President and COO Gerrit Dispersyn as the company's new CEO, effective March 1. He will succeed the retiring Geert Cauwenbergh, who will remain as a member of the board of directors. Release
Respiratory monitoring tech developer Spire Health brought on former Merck Deputy Chief Medical Officer Richard Murray to be its new CMO; Phil Golz as VP of healthcare sales and strategy; and Cmed's Joanne Hollenbach as VP of clinical and regulatory affairs. Golz previously helped lead GlaxoSmithKline's global digital strategy and innovation and more recently was an executive commercial VP at HealthUnlocked, while Hollenbach was U.S. chief operating officer for Cmed and VP of clinical development at WCCT Global. Release
Achillion Pharmaceuticals appointed Brian Di Donato as senior VP and chief financial officer. Di Donato first joined Achillion in August 2018 to lead investor relations, after serving as managing director and co-portfolio manager at Sorin Capital Management. Release