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.
Prothena promotes one exec while another leaves
Prothena Therapeutics
Prothena, a company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, is shaking up its C-suite. Chad Swanson, Ph.D., who first joined the company from Eisai in 2023, has been promoted to chief development officer and will oversee clinical development and medical functions, while Chief Medical Officer Hideki Garren, M.D., Ph.D., left to lead a global product development division at a large pharma company. According to LinkedIn, Garren is now senior vice president, global head of clinical development neurology at Genentech, the company he left in 2021 to join Prothena. Prothena plans to initiate a global search for Garren’s replacement. The exec moves were announced just a day after the science underlying Prothena’s Parkinson’s disease drug prasinezumab was implicated in a massive research misconduct scandal but are unrelated, a company spokesperson told Fierce in an email. Release
Metsera makes big moves in supplier and C-suite
Metsera
Obesity outfit Metsera, maker of a potentially once-monthly GLP-1, is making moves, including swapping out CEOs. The firm is teaming up with drugmaker Amneal Pharmaceuticals, which will now serve as the biotech’s “preferred supply partner” for developed markets including the U.S. and Europe. Meanwhile, Whit Bernard is taking over the top job at Metsera, replacing outgoing CEO Clive Meanwell, M.D. Bernard worked closely with Meanwell on the launch and strategy around Metsera, a company spokesperson told Fierce in an email, and this was a natural, planned transition. Story
Allarity pulls two Lilly vets
Allarity Therapeutics
Allarity has recruited two industry veterans to strengthen its leadership team as it advances its lead program, ovarian cancer candidate stenoparib. Jeremy Graff, Ph.D., will take on a more formal leadership title in the new role of chief development officer, following his position as a consultant to the company since late 2023. Graff was credited with advancing 31 clinical oncology assets over his 17-year tenure at Eli Lilly. Meanwhile, Allarity’s newly appointed consultant chief medical officer Jose Iglesias, M.D., also held a leadership role at Eli Lilly as well as at Celgene. Release
> BioSenic’s CEO Francois Rieger and nonexecutive director Véronique Pomi-Schneiter are jumping ship to focus on funding subsidiary Medsenic, leaving Finsys Management SRL’s Jean-Luc Vandebroek to lead in the interim. Release
> As GentiBio’s lead asset prepares to enter the clinic, industry vet Mark Bach, M.D., Ph.D., joins the team as CMO. Release
> Experienced CEO Keith Dionne, Ph.D., is taking the reins at dry age-related macular degeneration biotech Luxa Biotechnology. Release
> Plexium tapped Jorge DiMartino, M.D., Ph.D., to lead the company through its development stage programs as CMO. Release
> Inflammatory bowel disease drug maker Spyre Therapeutics snared a new CMO in Sheldon Sloan, M.D. Release
> Big changes are afoot at IGM Biosciences with CEO Fred Schwarzer, CSO Bruce Keyt, Ph.D. and CMO Chris Takimoto, M.D., Ph.D. all hitting the exit, with Mary Beth Harler, M.D., replacing Schwarzer as CEO. Story
> Makoto Sugita, M.D., Ph.D., is switching gears to serve as CMO and president of Nxera Pharma (formerly known as Sosei Group) Japan after five years heading up R&D at Bristol Myers Squibb’s Japan branch. Release
> Fierce 15 winner OMass Therapeutics expanded its leadership team along with its pipeline, adding Bristol Myers Squibb vet Steve Griffen, M.D., to its U.S. team as VP of clinical development. Release
> Jane Rhodes, Ph.D., landed the CEO position at Alzheimer’s disease focused AstronauTx. Release
> Nuclera’s co-founder Gordon McInroy, Ph.D., is leaving his chief technology officer post behind to take on the new role of chief operating officer. Release
> Drug development and commercialization services provider Precision Medicine Group has appointed Margaret Keenan as its next CEO, replacing Mark Clein, who will now be executive chairman. Release
> Talus Bioscience is pushing forward its transcription factor therapeutics pipeline by naming Gaelle Mercenne, Ph.D., head of biology. Release
> Michael Charlton is the new senior vice president of clinical development at Madrigal Therapeutics, a company developing drugs for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Release
> T-cell engineer CERo Therapeutics is supporting interim CEO Chris Ehrlich by adding Al Kucharchuk as chief financial officer and Kristen Pierce, Ph.D., as chief development officer. Release
> Joe Fox is jumping from one Danaher Corporation company to another, joining lab equipment manufacturer Beckman Coulter Life Sciences as president while leaving the same job at Sciex. Release
> Halda Therapeutics hopes to advance its cancer therapies to the clinic by appointing Christian Schade, a former growth partner at Flagship Pioneering, as president and CEO. Release
> Enzyme engineer Codexis is prepping for growth, raising $31 million and adding Alison Moore, Ph.D., as its first chief technology officer, Georgia Erbez as chief financial officer and John Schiffhauer as senior vice president of intellectual property. Release