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.
J&J vet jumps to Affinia
Affinia Therapeutics
Veteran scientist Hideo Makimura, M.D., Ph.D., is going fully preclinical by joining gene therapy biotech Affinia Therapeutics as chief medical officer. Makimura most recently served in leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, including as global vice president and head of R&D for ophthalmology and as head of translational and experimental medicine for cardiometabolic disease. Before J&J, he spent three years at Merck in roles related to translational research and clinical development in cardiometabolic disease, women’s health and oncology. At Affinia, Makimura will leverage his experience to shepherd lead BAG3 dilated cardiomyopathy candidate AFTX-201 toward an investigational new drug application. Release
Astellas shakes up C-suite with exec firings
Astellas Pharma
Japanese pharma Astellas is preparing a significant shake-up of its top-tier roles, including transforming its chief medical officer into a new R&D position and ushering out its current chief scientific officer and chief manufacturing officer. Chief Medical Officer Tadaaki Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D., and Chief Commercial Officer Claus Zieler will both transition to the new positions of chief research and development officer and chief commercial and medical affairs officer, respectively. To make room for these changes, Chief Scientific Officer Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., and Chief Manufacturing Officer Hideki Shima will both resign at the end of March. Story
Pfizer builds oncology team with Legos
Pfizer
Pfizer is laying down new pieces for its leadership team structure, selecting Jeffrey Legos, Ph.D., to replace interim Chief Oncology Officer Roger Dansey, M.D. Legos joins from Novartis, where he served as executive vice president and global head of oncology and hematology development. Before that, he held various leadership positions at GSK. As head of oncology, Legos will guide Pfizer’s cancer R&D, from preclinical to late-stage clinical research. Story
> Daiichi Sankyo is promoting its president and chief operating officer Hiroyuki Okuzawa to be its next CEO, effective April 1. Okuzawa replaces Sunao Manabe, Ph.D., who will transition to the executive chairperson role. Release
> Mary Tagliaferri, M.D., chief medical officer of Nektar Therapeutics, has resigned from her role effective immediately due to personal reasons. Filing
> Moderna has found a new chief marketing officer in Amy Mahery, a veteran of Roivant Sciences and Merck KGaA’s U.S. pharma subsidiary. Story
> Cancer biotech Viracta Therapeutics is closing down, with top execs Mark Rothera, Michael Faerm and Darrel Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., stepping down from their respective roles as CEO, CFO and CMO and board-appointed Craig Jalbert brought on as CEO to lead the wind-down. Story
> German ADC firm Tubulis has tapped Matthew Norkunas, M.D., to serve as chief financial officer and president of U.S. subsidiary Tubulis Inc. Release
> 23-year FDA staffer Eric Pittman, who most recently served as a director at the agency’s bioresearch monitoring division and as FDA delegate to the OECD working party on GLPs, is leaving the FDA due to ethical concerns tied to the offer made by the Trump administration for federal employees on administrative leave. LinkedIn
> Matthew Hawryluk, Ph.D., joined RNA editing biotech AIRNA as chief business officer after pivoting from the same role at Gritstone. Release
> José Almeida is stepping down from his CEO, president and chairman role at Baxter International, leaving independent director Brent Shafer in his place as the company searches for a permanent replacement while Heather Knight has been promoted to chief operating officer. Release
> Boundless Bio has a new chief medical officer in Rain Oncology’s co-founder Robert Doebele, M.D., Ph.D., who joins as the company works through a phase 1/ 2 study in patients with oncogene amplified cancers. Release
> Jeffrey Landau is splitting from his role as chief business officer and head of strategy at CytomX Therapeutics. Filing
> Vir vet Wendy Yeh, M.D., replaced Hsiao Lieu, M.D., as chief medical officer at NGM Biopharmaceuticals following Lieu’s planned departure. Release
> Uvax Bio’s chief business officer Kevin O’Neill will take over for CEO and co-founder Ji Li, Ph.D., as interim chief as the board searches for a permanent successor. Release
> With changes afoot at Achilles Therapeutics, Sergio Quezada, Ph.D., is stepping down as chief scientific officer. Filing
> CTMC strengthened its executive team with the newly created roles of chief business officer and chief technical officer, which will be filled by Amy Hay and Duane Avant, respectively. Release