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.
Bavarian Nordic CEO exits on heels of failed takeover
Bavarian Nordic
After 27 years with Bavarian Nordic, including 12 as CEO, Paul Chaplin is stepping down from the helm at the Danish vaccine maker and moving back to Australia. Under his leadership, Bavarian Nordic blossomed from a small single-government-serving research company to a widespread vaccine supplier with a growing portfolio of crucial travel vaccines, such as smallpox and mpox vaccine Jynneos and chikungunya virus vaccine Vimkunya. Chaplin’s departure comes a few months after company shareholders rejected a proposed buyout by a private equity consortium, which he had previously hoped could turn Bavarian’s “unloved” portfolio of assets around, he told Bloomberg in August. The CEO attributed his exit to personal reasons, noting that while his family wants to move back to Australia, he will stay on with the vaccine maker through the end of the year to allow a stable transition as the board searches for a new CEO. Story | Release
Absci appoints Vertex vet as chief medical officer
Absci
Artificial intelligence drug creation company Absci has named Ransi Somaratne, M.D., to be its chief medical officer, where he will lead clinical development strategy and execute its pipeline of AI-designed therapeutics. The physician-scientist joins Absci from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he was senior vice president of clinical development. He also previously held roles at BioMarin Pharmaceutical and Amgen. Absci also announced the retirement of Chief Innovation Officer Andreas Busch, Ph.D., who led the development of the company’s AI pipeline and discovered its flagship candidate, which is being investigated for male and female pattern hair loss and endometriosis. Busch will move to co-chair Absci’s scientific advisory board. Release
FDA's operations chief to hang up hat
FDA
Barclay Butler, Ph.D., is retiring from the nation’s top drug regulator after about a year on the job as deputy commissioner for operations and chief operating officer, according to an internal agency email viewed by Fierce Biotech. Butler will serve as an advisor until his deputy, Melanie Keller, takes over his former roles April 6. Though he only spent a year at the FDA, Butler has a long history of federal service, including a nine-year stint at the Defense Health Agency and a 20-year career with the U.S. Army. Butler’s senior advisor Melissa Shea, who also joined the FDA from the Defense Health Agency, will serve as Keller’s deputy COO and principal deputy associate commissioner for operations.
> Complement therapy maker Apellis Pharmaceuticals lured in a big-name board member in Pfizer’s former R&D head Mikael Dolsten, M.D., Ph.D. Release
> Joanne Anderson is syncing back up with Symbiosis as chief commercial officer, returning to her roots seven years after she left the company after a six-year tenure. Release
> After years of biotech research analysis at Barclays, Gena Wang, Ph.D., is diving into the action with a dual role as Argo Biopharmaceutical’s chief financial officer and chief strategy officer. Release
> Early-phase oncology executive Rebeca Villarreal-Barragan is now head of clinical operations at 3T Biosciences, an immunotherapy company with a pipeline of T-cell-receptor-based therapeutics for solid tumors. Release
> Seres Therapeutics has appointed Richard Kender as executive chair and interim CEO, where he brings 35 years of biopharma exec experience. Release
> Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Syntis Bio has named David Rosenbaum, Ph.D., as chief development officer and Christo Shalish as chief business officer. The company focuses on novel oral therapeutics that leverage the small intestine. Release
> Brunilda Shtylla is the new chief business officer for Kivu Bioscience, where she leads corporate strategy, business development and partnership initiatives for the clinical-stage antibody-drug conjugate company. Release
> Neha Krishnamohan has joined Latigo Biotherapeutics as chief financial officer and chief business officer, where she will help advance the company’s pipeline of non-opioid pain prospects. Release
> MorphoSys’ regulatory affairs guru Philippe Serrano has found a new home as chief regulatory officer at Tango Therapeutics. Filing
> Cardiovascular-focused XyloCor Therapeutics has plucked former scPharmaceuticals CEO John Tucker to be its next leader, filling the spot recently held by Al Gianchetti. Release
> Antiviral antibody specialist Invivyd has tapped experienced physician-scientist Michael Mina, M.D., Ph.D., to serve as chief medical officer. Release