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 Kyle LaHucik, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.
Abbott chairman Miles White retires and CEO Robert Ford adds the post to his duties
Abbott
Robert Ford is adding another title to his duties at Abbott: chairman.
The medtech's CEO will assume the board chairman post as Miles White steps down from the position after 38 years at the company, including more than 20 as CEO. Ford took the top executive slot from White in March 2020, right as COVID-19 was taking a foothold in the U.S. He was voted in as chairman effective Dec. 10. He's been at the company, known to the broader public for its COVID-19 diagnostics test, since 1996. Fierce MedTech
Former Gritstone Bio Chief Medical Officer Raphaël Rousseau jumps to Neogene for similar role
Neogene
Raphaël Rousseau, M.D., Ph.D., is now chief medical officer of Neogene Therapeutics.
Rousseau comes to the transatlantic biotech from Gritstone, where held the same post. He'll be responsible for leading the Californian and Dutch biotech's T-cell therapy into the clinic for solid tumors. He previously worked on phase 1 and 2 trials at Gritstone and prior to that held medical director roles at Roche and its unit Genentech. Fierce Biotech
Sailaja Puttagunta returns to Iterum Therapeutics as chief medical officer after stint at BiomX
Iterum Therapeutics
Sailaja Puttagunta, M.D., is now chief medical officer at Iterum.
Puttagunta was previously a vice president of clinical development at the company from 2016 to 2018 before he left to take a stint as chief medical officer at BiomX, a chronic disease biotech. He begins the new role as the company says it's reentering the clinic with a drug the FDA rejected this summer for uncomplicated urinary tract infection. Fierce Biotech
> Catherine Priest, Ph.D., was promoted to chief development officer of Neurona Therapeutics, and Gautam Banik, Ph.D., was promoted to chief technology officer of the neurological disorders biotech. Release
> Sophie Amsellem-Bosq was named chief technical officer of InnoSkel after serving as global CAR-T program director at Servier. Release
> Cognito Therapeutics named Jennifer Newberger its VP of regulatory affairs and compliance. She has worked at Abbott and Apple and was previously a policy adviser to the FDA and a public health analyst at the CDC. Release
> IN8bio promoted Kate Rochlin, Ph.D., to chief operating officer after her stint as VP of operations and innovation. Release
> Doug Hubatsch is the new chief scientific officer of ophthalmology biotech Nicox after serving as Novartis' global medical head for ocular surface disease. Release
> Vifor Pharma hired Hervé Gisserot as chief commercial officer as of Jan. 17 after serving in multiple SVP roles in the past 13 years at GlaxoSmithKline. Release
> Qualigen Therapeutics promoted Amy Broidrick to president and chief strategy officer; she will also remain a director. Release
> Sirnaomics promoted Steven Long, Ph.D., to chief development officer and Edward Wang, Ph.D., to chief production officer. Release
> Zaven Kaprielian, Ph.D., is now chief scientific officer at Remix Therapeutics after serving as chief operating officer and project CSO at Dementia Discovery Fund and as a venture partner with the DDF. Release
> Robert Mabry, Ph.D., left Takeda to be chief scientific officer of RNA biotech Orna Therapeutics, and Nishla Keiser, Ph.D., joined as chief legal and strategy officer from Intellia Therapeutics. Release
> AlloVir said its chief medical officer, Augustin Melian, M.D., is leaving the company by year-end and will remain as an adviser during the transition. SVP of Clinical Research Richard Riese, M.D., Ph.D., will lead the clinical development programs, including phase 3 studies. Release
> Surface Oncology promoted Lisa McGrath to chief people officer and Shannon Devens to SVP of development programs. The immuno-oncology biotech also named Denice Torres chair of the board and Ben Hickey a board director. Release
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 2 p.m. ET on December 20, 2021, to clarify Abbott CEO Robert Ford's title.