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.
Amylyx preps for GLP-1 launch with new CCO
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals
Dan Monahan, the exec who led Otsuka’s commercialization of Rexulti and Abilify Maintena, is taking command of the launch of Amylyx’s GLP-1 receptor antagonist avexitide as chief commercial officer. Monahan first joined Amylyx in February 2024 as general manager and head of U.S. commercial markets. Before his three years at Otsuka, Monahan held roles at Sanofi and Novartis, where he worked on the commercialization of Cosentyx. Amylyx aims to start a phase 3 trial of avexitide in post-bariatric hypoglycemia in the first quarter of 2025. Story
Andy Orth given key to the City
City Therapeutics
Biotech veteran Andy Orth is the new CEO and director of City Therapeutics, taking the helm from co-founder John Maraganore, Ph.D., who will retain his role as executive chairman. Orth joins from Krystal Biotech, where he was chief commercial officer, and earlier spent time in senior leadership roles at Alnylam and Biogen. City plans to bring its first RNAi-based therapy into the clinic around the end of 2025. Release
Antag taps Bayer vet as CEO
Antag Therapeutics
Obesity-focused biotech Antag Therapeutics is entering 2025 with a new CEO in Joerg Moeller, M.D., Ph.D. Moeller, who previously served on Bayer’s executive leadership as head of global R&D and later in the same role at Leo Pharma, succeeds Antag’s co-founder Alexander Sparre-Ulrich, Ph.D., in the CEO spot. Sparre-Ulrich, meanwhile, will pivot into the chief operating officer position. Under its new leadership, Antag will advance its lead candidate AT-7687, a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor, into phase 1 clinical development for obesity management. Release
> Investor David Lazar, CEO of Activist Investing, will take the CEO role at Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals in exchange for investing $3 million in the biotech. Story
> Orbis Medicines brought Morten Graugaard, formally executive chair of the company’s board of directors, into the CEO spot after closing a 90 million euro series A funding round. Release
> In response to an SEC investigation, Spero Therapeutics president and CEO Sath Shukla has gone on voluntary paid administrative leave, and will be replaced in the interim by CFO and CBO Esther Rajavelu. Release & Filing
> Former Apellis exec Federico Grossi, M.D., Ph.D., is moving to Unity Biotechnology to serve as its chief medical officer. Release
> Consumer self-care product maker Perrigo is replacing its chief scientific officer Alison Ives with former Bayer exec Abbie Lennox, while Ives heads up the company’s newly formed Disruptive Growth Team. Release
> Decorated cancer researcher Geoff Oxnard, M.D., is BlossomHill Therapeutics’ new chief medical officer, where he will lead the team in advancing its first two oncology programs. Release
> Halia Therapeutics shook up its leadership team with several new appointments, including the promotion of Margit Janat-Amsbury, M.D., Ph.D., to chief scientific officer. Release
> Michael Secora, Ph.D., is taking the chief corporate development and chief financial officer roles at AI-driven Iambic Therapeutics following his similar role at Recursion. Release
> The T1D Fund, a Type 1 diabetes investment fund, tapped Bristol Myers Squibb’s former EVP of strategy and business development Elizabeth Mily to take the reins as CEO. Release
> Kura Oncology’s chief medical officer Stephen Dale, M.D., is stepping down from the role after personal health challenges, leaving company exec Mollie Leoni, M.D., to take over in his place, while Francis Burrows, Ph.D., was promoted to chief scientific officer. Release
> Experienced exec Stephen Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is joining Bright Minds Biosciences to take over from acting Chief Medical Officer Mark Smith, M.D., Ph.D. Release
> Tango Biosciences swapped one of its three co-founders, Michael Scholle, into the CEO spot, while former CEO and fellow co-founder Brian Kay, Ph.D., will move to the chief scientific officer role. Release
> Scott Clarke is taking the helm at CatalYm as CEO after previously serving as CEO at Tizona Therapeutics. Release
> Zealand Pharma welcomed former longtime AdventHealth exec Steven Smith, M.D., as senior global medical adviser of obesity. Release
> Blood-based diagnostics company Sunbird Bio scooped Eisai vet Richard Batrla, M.D., Ph.D. as its new chief medical officer. Release
> Armgo Pharma has changed its name to RyCarma Therapeutics and tapped Adam Rosenberg, Jonathan Alspaugh and Sanjay Jalota as CEO, president and chief strategy officer, and senior vice president of regulatory, respectively. Release
> Infectious-disease-focused AiCuris has named Jacques Dumas, Ph.D., to lead R&D of its pipeline as chief scientific officer. Release
> Alltrna looks to advance its tRNA-based medicines for rare diseases by appointing Nerissa Kreher, M.D., as chief medical officer. Release
> PrecisionLife is looking to commercialize its precision medicine tests with the help of new Chief Commercial Officer Bill Keating. Release
> Novartis vet Adam Freire, Ph.D., is heading to Biogen to serve as head of business development and external innovation. Release
> Investment firm Frazier Life Sciences has added Mitchell Gold, M.D., and Stanford Peng, M.D., Ph.D., as venture partners. Release
> RNA-focused Ribometrix is beefing up its C-suite, with William Marshall, Ph.D., replacing Michael Solomon, Ph.D., as CEO and co-founder Katie Warner, Ph.D., becoming chief scientific officer. Release
> Boehringer Ingelheim Senior Vice President Uli Brödl, M.D., is departing to become chief scientific officer at Grünenthal. Release
> Drug discovery firm LabGenius is bringing former Evotec global business development VP Hannah Seitz, Ph.D., on board as chief business officer. Release
> Pascal Behr, Ph.D., is stepping down as CEO of Cytosurge while remaining on the board, as Chief Commercial Officer Simon Egli steps into the top spot. Release
> Israeli ophthalmology biotech Tarsier Pharma is expanding its U.S. presence with the appointment of Ashley Kline as chief commercial officer. Release