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 Gabrielle Masson and it will be featured here at the end of each week.
Biogen CMO Maha Radhakrishnan joins Sofinnova
Sofinnova Investments
Former Biogen Chief Medical Officer Maha Radhakrishnan, M.D., is now an executive partner at healthcare investment firm Sofinnova Investments. Radhakrishnan previously held leadership roles at Sanofi, Bioverativ, Bristol Myers Squibb, UnitedHealth Group and Cephalon. At Sanofi, she led the medical strategy for diabetes and cardiovascular products and programs. Release
Flagship Pioneering taps White House vet Raj Panjabi in new role
Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering snagged Raj Panjabi, M.D., to join as senior partner in a new role heading up its Preemptive Health & Medicine Initiative. Highly decorated Panjabi joins the team from previous positions at the White House, where he served as senior director and as President Joe Biden’s top pandemic and health official at the National Security Council during the government’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Release
4DMT poaches top ophthalmology talent
4D Molecular Therapeutics
Clinical-stage genetic medicines company 4D Molecular Therapeutics has snagged some top biotech leaders. Carlos Quezada-Ruiz, M.D., formerly group medical director of ophthalmology at Roche’s Genentech, will now be senior vice president, therapeutic area head of ophthalmology at 4DMT. Dhaval Desai and Chris Simms, both from Iveric Bio, will serve as chief development officer and chief commercial officer, respectively. Release
> Gene therapy biotech Cellectis has appointed Adrian Kilcoyne, M.D., chief medical officer. Release
> Peter Campbell, Ph.D., former head of cancer, aging and somatic mutation at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, has joined Quotient Therapeutics as chief scientific officer. Campbell is the genomics biotech's academic co-founder. Release
> Fennec Pharmaceuticals, focused on chemotherapy-induced hearing loss, appointed Jeff Hackman as CEO. Release
> Immuno-oncology biotech iTeos Therapeutics has named David Feltquate, M.D., chief medical officer. Release
> Kamal Hamed, M.D., is leaving his post as CMO at bacterial-disease-focused Spero Therapeutics on Aug. 29. Release
> Evaxion Biotech’s Jesper Nissen is resigning from his dual roles as COO and interim CFO by the end of October in a move attributed to personal reasons. Release
> Oncology drug maker Oric Pharmaceuticals added industry vet Keith Lui to its executive team as the senior VP of commercial and medical affairs. Release
> 89bio tapped Francis Sarena, who held top roles at Apexigen and Five Prime Therapeutics prior to both company’s acquisitions, as COO. Release
> Regina Graul, Ph.D., was promoted to the CEO role at Cyclerion after joining the company eight months ago as president. Release
Editor’s note: Fierce Biotech is shaking up the way we report biopharma executive moves, narrowing in on some of the most industry-relevant changes. As always, feel free to send top C-suite transitions to the editorial team for consideration.