Evexta Bio appoints Shawn M. Leland as Chairman of the Board of Directors
19 Junio 2024 - 10:07AM
Business Wire
Evexta Bio SA, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on
developing first-in-class therapies in oncology, announces the
appointment of Shawn M. Leland, PharmD, RPh as Chairman of the
Board of Directors.
Shawn is an accomplished pharmaceutical and biotechnology
professional with more than 15 years of experience in the industry.
Throughout his career, Shawn has successfully advanced novel
oncology assets and programs, raised substantial capital for
various ventures, negotiated major global licensing agreements, and
established strategic partnerships. His extensive experience in
leading biotech startups, raising capital and executing strategic
collaborations will be a major benefit to Evexta Bio in its growth
and corporate development strategy.
Most recently, Shawn was the Interim CEO and Board Director of
ForeBio, where he led the company through a phase 2 study with
registrational intent and closed a $75M Series D financing.
In July 2019, Shawn founded Elevation Oncology, where he served
as Chief Business Officer and Board Director, and later as CEO
until January 2023. During his mandate, the company advanced
multiple novel targeted oncology assets. Shawn raised over $200M in
capital, which included a $100M IPO. Shawn grew Elevation Oncology
from zero to more than 50 employees.
Shawn was Head of Business Development at Verastem Oncology from
2017 – 2019 and Argos Therapeutics from 2013 – 2017 where he played
a pivotal role in each company’s corporate development strategy
leading multiple partnerships and licensing transactions. Shawn
started his career with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies,
ARIAD Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly. Shawn holds a PharmD from
Albany College of Pharmacy.
Alain Chevallier, former Chairman of the board of Directors
of Evexta Bio, said: “I'm pleased to be handing over the
chairmanship to a great professional of the oncology and biotech
field as Shawn, who brings new valuable perspectives to Evexta Bio,
and I will continue, as Vice-Chairman, to be fully committed to the
success of the Company.”
Scott Filosi, CEO of Evexta Bio added: “I am delighted to
welcome Shawn as Chairman of the Board of Directors. His experience
and expertise in oncology and strategic development of
biotechnology companies are real assets for Evexta Bio. I’m looking
forward to working with him to accelerate the mission of Evexta
Bio.”
Shawn M. Leland, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Evexta
Bio, said: "I’m looking forward to joining the team of
Evexta Bio in such a pivotal moment of its development. Evexta Bio
has tremendous potential and I thank the members of the Board of
Directors for their trust.”
About Evexta Bio
(https://www.evextabio.com)
Evexta Bio is a biopharmaceutical company exploring the new
frontiers of oncology in search of daring novel therapeutic
approaches with the potential to save lives. Now, in the clinic,
the company is currently developing two proprietary therapeutic
assets with novel mechanisms of action across several
indications:
- Rupitasertib, an optimized S6K inhibitor with efficient
AKT1/AKT3 control of compensatory AKT feed-back loop. The oral
anti-tumor agent is expected to enter phase 2 clinical trial in
ESR1mt ER+ HER2- advanced breast cancer.
- EVX020, a sole-in-class KIF20A kinesin inhibitor having shown
potent nonclinical efficacy in hematological and solid tumor
models. Two strategies are under assessment, development of EVX020
as a prodrug and as a payload for antibody-drug conjugate
(ADC).
Founded by Truffle Capital, supported by Merck KGaA (Darmstadt,
Germany) as shareholder, Evexta Bio has forged alliances with
leaders in academia and industry, including CNRS, Paoli-Calmettes
Institute (Marseille, France) and Merck KGaA. The company is
supported by seasoned management team, board of directors and
medical advisory board.
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Primatice Conseil Armand Rigaudy +33 (0)6 31 52 24 83
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