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.
FDA rocked by leadership shake-ups
Food and Drug Administration
As the Department of Health and Human Services grapples with the fallout of mass layoffs directed by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., top leadership at several agencies is on the outs. Top vaccine regulator Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., relinquished his role as director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research on April 5 after facing an ultimatum from RFK Jr. In explaining his departure, Marks pointed to an “unprecedented assault on scientific truth” in the U.S. and called out RFK Jr. directly for promoting vaccine misinformation. Scott Steele, Ph.D., is taking Marks’ place in the interim, after serving as an advisor to the agency since 2022. And joining Marks at the exit is FDA Chief Medical Officer Hilary Marston, M.D., who has more than a decade of government experience under her belt. Marston previously served as a senior advisor on the White House COVID-19 response team and directed medical biopreparedness and response at the U.S. National Security Council. Story, Story & Story
Sanofi snatches R&D head from GSK
Sanofi
Christopher Corsico, M.D., has left GSK to become Sanofi’s global head of development, effective immediately. Corsico served as senior vice president and global head of development at GSK for more than six years. Before that, the leader spent over 20 years at Boehringer Ingelheim across various roles, including chief medical officer. Harmony Garges, M.D., has been appointed to lead GSK's development unit in the wake of Corsico’s departure. Garges has more than 20 combined years of service across GSK ViiV Healthcare, an independent company owned by GSK, Pfizer and Shionogi. Story
Vida taps new managing directors
Vida Ventures
Arie Belldegrun, M.D.-founded venture firm Vida Ventures is opening the page to a new chapter with the appointment of new managing directors Matt Cohen, M.D., and Brian Goodman, Ph.D. Cohen is joining Vida after a lengthy career at J.P. Morgan, where he oversaw more than $10 billion in investments as portfolio manager and J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s lead growth healthcare investor. Adding Cohen to the Vida team gives the firm a leg up in public market capabilities, while Goodman brings expertise in early-stage strategy and company creation. Goodman recently served as partner at MPM BioImpact and also co-founded Aktis Oncology and ReNAgade Therapeutics, which was bought out by Orna Therapeutics. The new hires come a few months after the departure of two of the firm’s co-founding managing directors, Arjun Goyal, M.D., and Stefan Vitorovic, as reported by Endpoints News. Now, Vida looks to a “strategic evolution” and a new chapter marked by “strength, vision and renewed momentum,” Belldegrun said. Release
> Novo Nordisk’s longtime EVP of commercial strategy and corporate affairs Camilla Sylvest is hitting the exit after a 28-year tenure at the company. Story
> Acting deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Research Institute Vence Bonham Jr. has been placed on administrative leave just two weeks after taking up the job. Story
> Moderna’s first chief brand officer Kate Cronin is moving on to her “next chapter” after leading the company’s marketing since 2021. Story
> Santiago Arroyo, M.D., Ph.D., tendered his resignation as chief development officer at Bicycle Therapeutics, where he will stay on as a consultant for three years. Filing
> Bill Lis is stepping down as CEO of cell therapy maker Tr1X, leaving the role to co-founder and Chief Operating Officer David de Vries as Lis transitions to executive chairman of the board of directors. Release
> Coeptis Therapeutics’ chief scientific and medical officer Colleen Delaney, M.D., is dipping out from the company in favor of “another business opportunity.” Filing
> Novartis’ chief legal officer Karen Hale is taking on an expanded role as chief legal and compliance officer since the company’s head of ethics, risk and compliance Klaus Moosmayer is stepping down, moving his responsibilities to Hale. Release
> Joseph Bolen, Ph.D., is pivoting from Orna Therapeutics’ chief scientific officer to its CEO as current chief Amit Munshi leaves the helm for personal reasons. Release
> Akumin brought in former Envision Healthcare Corporation exec Henry Howe to take the reins as CEO effective immediately, replacing Krishna Kumar. Release
> Precision oncology drug maker Repare Therapeutics tapped its chief financial officer Steve Forte to take the CEO role alongside his current duties, succeeding Lloyd Segal, who left to pursue other opportunities. Release
> Industry vet Stuart Hughes, Ph.D., is taking over as CEO at Nuage Therapeutics from outgoing founding CEO Judit Anido, Ph.D. Release
> VectorY Therapeutics has tapped Lilly vet Olga Uspenskaya-Cadoz, M.D., Ph.D. to be its chief medical officer and help lead the company’s ALS candidate into the clinic. Release
> Radiopharma ITM Isotope Technologies is bringing former Novartis prostate cancer program head Celine Wilke, M.D., on board as chief medical officer. Release
> Clinical-stage Aviceda Therapeutics has snagged former Kalaris COO Jeffrey Nau, Ph.D., as its next CEO. Release
> Genetic medicines company Korro Bio has hired Loïc Vincent, Ph.D., to be the biotech’s chief scientific officer. Release
> Investment firm Frazier Life Sciences is looking to build more biotechs with the help of Chris Aakre, Ph.D., the firm’s new principal of company creation. Release
> Terrie Curran has stepped down as president and CEO of GI-focused Phathom Pharmaceuticals for personal reasons and is being replaced by experienced chief exec Steven Basta. Release
> MOMA Therapeutics has named former Takeda program lead Neil Lineberry, Ph.D., to be head of corporate development, while Susan Pandya, M.D., has joined the precision medicine company’s board. Release
> CSO and co-founder of Inhibrx Biosciences Brendan Eckelman, Ph.D., is departing the company to found and lead a new biotech, with Carlos Bais, Ph.D., tapped to replace him as CSO alongside new president David Matly. Release
> RyCarma Therapeutics is bolstering its executive team with cardiologist Elizabeth Tarka, M.D., stepping into the chief medical officer role. Release
> Endeavor BioMedicines is looking to lung expert Lisa Lancaster, M.D., to lead development of the company’s pulmonary fibrosis asset as chief medical officer. Release