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 Max Bayer or Gabrielle Masson, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.
Looking past COVID vaccines, Moderna expands executive team with new strategy role
Moderna
Though it is not a brand-new company, you’d be forgiven if Moderna’s ascendance over the last three years made you think the company was still in its infancy. In fact, Moderna has existed for roughly 12 years, equipped with one of the highest-selling single medications of all time.
But as the pandemic nears Year 4, and vaccine uptake in the world’s richest countries veers toward an annual shot, the Cambridge-based company is looking toward the future and adding to its executive ranks to reflect that. The company is elevating its manufacturing chief, Juan Andres, to president of strategic partnerships and enterprise expansion. The objective of the role will be to “focus on building out the organization to support the growing pipeline.”
Succeeding Andres will be former Novartis executive Jerh Collins, Ph.D.; he’ll take over as chief of technical operations and quality officer starting Oct. 3. Collins ends a marathon 30-year tenure at Novartis, ascending to the role of global head of chemical operations and anti-infectives. Fierce Pharma
New face of CytoDyn hopes to shape up biotech after Pourhassan ousting
CytoDyn
CytoDyn has tapped a new leader after its board ousted former CEO Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., in January. While the CEO spot still remains empty, Cyrus Arman, Ph.D., was selected by the board in July to guide the biotech as president.
Most recently, Arman served as chief business officer for Nimble Therapeutics, and he helped co-found BioVega Capital before that. He also previously served in leadership roles at Big Pharma Amgen.
Arman brings a new strategy with him to shape up the troubled biotech and clean up the mess left in his predecessor's wake. The company is ditching several of its programs and will now only be testing its monoclonal antibody leronlimab in patients with NASH, HIV or cancer.
“Going forward, our external persona and corporate brand is going to evolve and align with our new strategy,” Arman said on a Sept. 28 investor call.
Some of the troubles CytoDyn and now Arman face are a clinical hold on its HIV program along with ongoing investigations by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission tied to prior company claims that leronlimab could successfully treat severe COVID-19. Fierce Biotech
GSK to bring on AstraZeneca vet Brown as next CFO
GSK
Julie Brown is ditching luxury fashion brand Burberry to join GSK as chief financial officer, the British pharma announced this week. Brown currently serves as the chief operating and financial officer of the Burberry group but will be replacing Iain Mackay in April 2023 before he retires the following month.
Though Brown makes an immediate switch from the fashion industry, she’s worked the bulk of her career in the pharmaceutical industry, racking up 25 years at AstraZeneca ranging from roles in finance to commercial operations. Her footprint in the European business world is large, as she’s also been a nonexecutive director at Roche and is a member of the U.K. prime minister’s Business Council. As a result of her hiring, she’s resigned from Roche's board.
By the time he retires, Mackay will have wrapped up more than four years at GSK, having joined in January 2019. Prior to that, he spent eight years as the group finance director at HSBC. Fierce Pharma
> Pheon Therapeutics has made its debut, exiting stealth mode with $68 million and former NBE Therapeutics CEO Bertrand Damour at the helm. At his hip will be Chief Scientific Officer Leigh Zawel, Ph.D., who most recently held the same post at Cullinan Oncology. Fierce Biotech
> Flagship Biosciences is bringing on Tom Turi, Ph.D., to serve as chief scientific officer. Turi joins from Nexelis, where he also served as CSO, and held past leadership roles at LabCorp and Pfizer. Release
> Zentalis Pharmaceuticals has announced the transition of co-founder Kevin Bunker, Ph.D., from his role as chief operating officer to chief scientific officer. Bunker has been leading R&D at the company since its inception in 2014. Release
> David Anderson, Ph.D., has left his role as SVP of research at SwanBio Therapeutics to become Code Biotherapeutics’ chief scientific officer. Before SwanBio, Anderson worked at Spark Therapeutics, and he has also co-founded two early biotechs. Release
> Precision biotech Gandeeva Therapeutics has added two new leaders to its C-suite. Matthew Lucas, Ph.D., comes from Black Diamond Therapeutics and will serve as Gandeeva’s chief scientific officer, while David Poon, Ph.D., leaves Zymeworks to serve as chief business officer. Release
> Mayank Gandhi, M.D., has been tapped to be the new chief business officer at eFFECTOR Therapeutics. He was most recently VP of corporate development and strategy at special purpose acquisition company Jiya Acquisition Group. Release
> Two new vice presidents are hopping aboard Rapt Therapeutics, an immunology-based biotech making treatments for inflammation and cancer. Jennifer Nicholson will be the company’s SVP of regulatory affairs and quality assurance, and Adnan Rahman joins as VP of commercial. Release
> Recludix Pharma, which was founded by the same group of scientists that helped launch Blueprint Medicines, has hired a new chief business officer. Matthew Caldemeyer will be making the jump from the executive peak at Everest Medicines, where he was VP of business development. Release