Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of significant leadership hirings, firings and retirings across the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Darren Incorvaia or Zoey Becker and it will be featured here at the end of each week.
CatalYm catalyzes C-suite shakeup
CatalYm
The German drug developer has tapped four industry leaders to take up spots in its C-suite, a move that has prompted three other executives to leave the company. The biotech’s chief medical officer, Eugen Leo, M.D., is stepping down after nearly seven years in the role, with Insilico Medicine’s Sujata Rao, M.D., taking his spot. Another seven-year vet, Chief Scientific Officer Christine Schuberth-Wagner, Ph.D., is also departing. Clinton Musil is taking over the CFO role from Anne Burger, and will also serve as chief business officer, while Heike Krupka, Ph.D., and Andrea Goddard have joined as chief development officer and chief technology officer, respectively. Story
Character draws new leadership
Character Biosciences
Character Biosciences is widening its executive slate with four new appointments. The ophthalmology-focused company selected Robert Kim, M.D., as chief medical officer and tapped Daniel Elgort, Ph.D. as chief data and analytics officer. Josh Buddle, meanwhile, will head up Character’s clinical network and longitudinal research and Jessamyn Wead will serve as head of people. Kim is “thrilled to join Character at such a pivotal time,” he said. The exec comes to Character fresh off a five-year stint at 4D, including the last two years that he spent as chief medical officer before stepping down in August. At Character, Kim will play a role in advancing the company’s pipeline of dry age-related macular degeneration and primary open-angle glaucoma candidates. Release
Amgen adds top cancer scientist to research team
Amgen
After announcing a planned $600 million investment in R&D, Amgen is continuing to build out its research capabilities by hiring National Academy of Sciences member Shannon Turley, Ph.D., as vice president of research and co-head of research biology. Turley joins from a decade-long career at Genentech, where she most recently served as vice president and therapeutic area head for immunology and regenerative medicine. She built her career as a top scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she was a professor in the department of cancer immunology. Amgen’s other VPs of research are also taking expanded roles, a company spokesperson told Fierce Biotech: Saptarsi Haldar, M.D., is now the other co-head of research biology, with rare diseases added to his plate along with cardiometabolic disease, and Ryan Potts, Ph.D, is taking on research technology and data science. LinkedIn
> Flagship Pioneering made Yasir Al-Wakeel a CEO-partner and chose him to head up its Vesalius Therapeutics, while Mary Beth Harler, M.D., is set to take over at Flagship’s in-house drug discovery outfit, Pioneering Medicines, as president. Release & Release
> Neumirna Therapeutics selected Ellen K. Donnelly, Ph.D., to lead its journey to the clinic with its RNA-based therapy candidates for neurological diseases as CEO. Release
> Atavistik Bio welcomed Susan Panduya, M.D., and her 20 years of drug development experience to its executive team as chief medical officer. Release
> Early NeoVac investor Jan Egberts, M.D., is taking the helm at the London-based biotech to lead the charge through its next growth phase. Release
> Oncology-focused Yellowstone Biosciences lassoed Sana Biotechnologies’ co-founder Jim MacDonald as its new CEO. Release
> ALX Oncology’s board member Barbara Klencke, M.D., and its chief medical officer Alan Sandler, M.D., are making a swap as Sandler retires from the CMO spot and returns to the board while Klencke takes over in the interim, leaving her board position. Release
> AI-powered Formation Bio has added Louis Brenner, M.D., and Daniel Neil, Ph.D., to its executive team as chief medical officer and chief technology officer, respectively. Release
> Amid a 30% layoff, Innate Pharma is also losing Chief Scientific Officer Eric Vivier, Ph.D., at the end of the year, who “has decided to return to academic research full time.” Story
> Allergy and autoimmune biotech Dualitas Therapeutics has emerged from stealth with former Jounce CEO Rich Murray, Ph.D., at the helm as interim CEO and board member. Release
> AllRock Bio has unveiled with co-founder Catherine Pearce as CEO, who formerly created and led CinCor Pharma before it was acquired by AstraZeneca. Release
> Rob Goodwin is the new chief operating officer of CRO Parexel, after previously serving as Pfizer’s senior vice president of clinical development and operations. Release
> The leader of NIH’s Office of Intramural Research, Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D., is leaving the agency to return to academia, while Jon Lorsch, Ph.D., has been named NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research after previously serving in the role in an acting capacity. Story & Release