GRI - Connect Biopharma Announces New Leadership and Chair of the Board of Directors | Benzinga
- Industry leader Barry Quart, Pharm.D. appointed as Chief Executive Officer succeeding Zheng Wei, Ph.D., who will remain on the Board of Directors and serve as an advisor to assist with the transition
- Experienced life science executive David Szekeres appointed as President
- Kleanthis G. Xanthopoulos, Ph.D. appointed as Chair of the Board of Directors
SAN DIEGO, CA and TAICANG, China, June 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:CNTB) (Connect or the Company), a U.S.-headquartered, global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with chronic inflammatory diseases through the development of therapies derived from T cell-driven research, announced today the appointments of Barry Quart, Pharm.D., as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director, David Szekeres as President, and Kleanthis G. Xanthopoulos, Ph.D., as the new Chair of the Board of Directors (Board).
Dr. Xanthopoulos, currently the lead independent member of the Board since 2022, has been appointed Chair of the Board. Dr. Xanthopoulos succeeds Wubin (Bill) Pan, Ph.D., M.B.A., who will remain on the Board and serve as an advisor to the Company during the transition.
"On behalf of the board and the Connect team I would like to thank Drs. Zheng Wei and Wubin (Bill) Pan, who co-founded Connect with the vision to bring next-generation therapeutics to patients with inflammatory diseases and improve their lives. We are grateful for their contributions and unwavering commitment to the Connect mission by building an outstanding organization with Phase 3-ready programs and a robust pipeline," said Kleanthis G. Xanthopoulos, Ph.D., Chair of the Board of Directors of Connect. "The highly differentiated data generated from positive readouts in both asthma and atopic dermatitis for the lead asset, rademikibart, establishes Connect now as a U.S.-driven late-stage company entering its pre-commercial phase. I am thrilled to welcome the new leadership team with such an impressive track record and eager to leverage Barry's and David's operational expertise and wealth of experience to unlock the maximum potential/value of rademikibart and the rest of the pipeline."
"Founding and leading Connect with Bill and working with many talented colleagues who are passionate about discovery and development of life-changing medicines in the past 12 years has been a true honor and privilege," said Dr. Zheng Wei. "As Connect evolved to focus on advancing rademikibart, Bill and I look forward to supporting Barry and David as Connect enters an exciting new phase."
Dr. Barry Quart, the Company's newly appointed CEO, brings over 30 ...