Affimed Appoints Shawn M. Leland as Chief Executive Officer
Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) has appointed Shawn M. Leland as its new Chief Executive Officer. Leland brings over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, with a strong track record in advancing oncology assets, raising capital, and establishing strategic partnerships. He previously served as Interim CEO of ForeBio and founded Elevation Oncology, where he raised over $200M in capital. Dr. Andreas Harstrick, who has been acting CEO since January 2024, will continue as Chief Medical Officer.
Leland's appointment comes as Affimed focuses on its three active clinical programs, with important data readouts expected in the near future. The company's strategy centers on harnessing the innate immune system to fight cancer, and Leland's expertise is expected to drive Affimed's growth and shape its corporate development strategy.
Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) ha nominato Shawn M. Leland come nuovo Amministratore Delegato. Leland porta con sé oltre 15 anni di esperienza nel settore farmaceutico e biotecnologico, con un solido curriculum nel progresso di asset oncologici, nella raccolta di capitali e nella creazione di alleanze strategiche. In precedenza, ha ricoperto il ruolo di CEO ad interim di ForeBio e ha fondato Elevation Oncology, dove ha raccolto oltre 200 milioni di dollari in capitale. Il Dr. Andreas Harstrick, che ha svolto funzioni di CEO ad interim da gennaio 2024, continuerà come Chief Medical Officer.
La nomina di Leland arriva mentre Affimed si concentra sui suoi tre programmi clinici attivi, con importanti pubblicazioni di dati previste nel prossimo futuro. La strategia dell'azienda si basa sull'utilizzo del sistema immunitario innato per combattere il cancro, e si prevede che l'expertise di Leland guiderà la crescita di Affimed e plasmi la sua strategia di sviluppo aziendale.
Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) ha nombrado a Shawn M. Leland como su nuevo Director Ejecutivo. Leland aporta más de 15 años de experiencia en la industria farmacéutica y biotecnológica, con un sólido historial en el avance de activos oncológicos, la captación de capital y el establecimiento de asociaciones estratégicas. Anteriormente, se desempeñó como CEO interino de ForeBio y fundó Elevation Oncology, donde recaudó más de 200 millones de dólares en capital. El Dr. Andreas Harstrick, que ha actuado como CEO desde enero de 2024, continuará como Director Médico.
La designación de Leland se produce mientras Affimed se centra en sus tres programas clínicos activos, con importantes publicaciones de datos que se esperan en un futuro cercano. La estrategia de la empresa se centra en aprovechar el sistema inmunológico innato para luchar contra el cáncer, y se espera que la experiencia de Leland impulse el crecimiento de Affimed y dé forma a su estrategia de desarrollo corporativo.
Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD)가 새로운 CEO로 Shawn M. Leland을 임명했습니다. Leland는 항암 자산의 발전, 자본 조달 및 전략적 파트너십 구축에서 강력한 실적을 가지고 있는 제약 및 생명공학 분야에서 15년 이상의 경험을 가지고 있습니다. 그는 이전에 ForeBio의 임시 CEO로 재직했으며, Elevation Oncology를 창립하여 2억 달러 이상의 자본을 유치했습니다. Andreas Harstrick 박사는 2024년 1월부터 임시 CEO로 활동해 왔으며, 계속해서 Chief Medical Officer로 활동할 것입니다.
Leland의 임명은 Affimed가 세 개의 활성 임상 프로그램에 집중하면서 일어났으며, 가까운 미래에 중요한 데이터 발표가 예상됩니다. 회사의 전략은 면역 체계를 활용하여 암과 싸우는 데 초점을 맞추고 있으며, Leland의 전문성이 Affimed의 성장과 기업 개발 전략을 형성할 것으로 기대됩니다.
Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) a nommé Shawn M. Leland comme nouveau Directeur Général. Leland apporte plus de 15 ans d'expérience dans le secteur pharmaceutique et biotechnologique, avec un solide bilan en matière d'avancement des actifs en oncologie, de levée de fonds et d'établissement de partenariats stratégiques. Il a précédemment occupé le poste de CEO intérimaire de ForeBio et a fondé Elevation Oncology, où il a levé plus de 200 millions de dollars en capital. Le Dr Andreas Harstrick, qui a été CEO par intérim depuis janvier 2024, continuera en tant que Directeur Médical.
La nomination de Leland intervient alors qu'Affimed se concentre sur ses trois programmes cliniques actifs, avec d'importantes publications de données attendues dans un avenir proche. La stratégie de l'entreprise repose sur l'exploitation du système immunitaire inné pour lutter contre le cancer, et l'expertise de Leland devrait propulser la croissance d'Affimed et façonner sa stratégie de développement corporatif.
Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) hat Shawn M. Leland zu seinem neuen Chief Executive Officer ernannt. Leland bringt über 15 Jahre Erfahrung in der Pharma- und Biotech-Branche mit, wobei er über eine starke Erfolgsbilanz bei der Förderung onkologischer Assets, der Kapitalbeschaffung und beim Aufbau strategischer Partnerschaften verfügt. Zuvor war er interimistischer CEO von ForeBio und gründete Elevation Oncology, wo er über 200 Millionen US-Dollar an Kapital beschaffte. Dr. Andreas Harstrick, der seit Januar 2024 als amtierender CEO fungiert, wird weiterhin als Chief Medical Officer tätig sein.
Lelands Ernennung erfolgt, während sich Affimed auf seine drei aktiven klinischen Programme konzentriert, bei denen in naher Zukunft wichtige Datenveröffentlichungen erwartet werden. Die Strategie des Unternehmens zielt darauf ab, das angeborene Immunsystem zur Bekämpfung von Krebs zu nutzen, und Leands Fachwissen wird voraussichtlich das Wachstum von Affimed vorantreiben und die Unternehmensentwicklungsstrategie prägen.
- Appointment of experienced CEO Shawn M. Leland with proven track record in oncology asset development
- Leland's history of successful capital raising, including a $100M IPO at previous company
- Company has three active clinical stage assets with proof of concept
- Upcoming important data readouts expected in the near future
- None.
MANNHEIM, Germany, Sept. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) (“Affimed” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, announced today that Shawn M. Leland, PharmD, RPh has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Andreas Harstrick, who has been serving as acting CEO since January 2024 will continue in his position as Chief Medical Officer (CMO).
Shawn is an accomplished pharmaceutical and biotechnology professional with more than 15 years of experience in the industry. He has a proven track record in successfully advancing the development of novel oncology assets, raising substantial capital for several biotech companies, negotiating major global licensing agreements, and establishing strategic partnerships. His extensive expertise in leading and expanding biotech companies will be instrumental in driving Affimed’s future growth and shaping its corporate development strategy.
Most recently, Shawn was the Interim CEO and Board Director of ForeBio, where he guided the company through a phase 2 study with registrational intent and closed a
In July 2019, Shawn founded Elevation Oncology and initially took on the roles of Chief Business Officer and Board Director, later transitioning to CEO until January 2023. During his tenure, the company advanced multiple novel targeted oncology assets and raised over
From 2017 – 2019, Shawn was Head of Business Development at Verastem Oncology and from 2013 – 2017, he held a similar position at Argos Therapeutics. In these positions, he played a pivotal role in shaping each company’s corporate development strategy, leading multiple partnerships and licensing transactions. Shawn began his career with ARIAD Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly, where he gained valuable experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. Shawn holds a PharmD from Albany College of Pharmacy.
“We are very excited to have Shawn join us as Affimed’s new CEO,” said Dr. Thomas Hecht, Chairman of Affimed’s Supervisory Board. “Shawn has consistently proven his leadership and entrepreneurial skills in growing and advancing biotechnology organizations, even in turbulent markets. With his impressive background, we are confident in his ability to shape Affimed’s future. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Andreas for serving as acting CEO since January, leading the company through the transition into a focused clinical development organization. With Andreas’s leadership, the company is now in a strong position with three active clinical programs and a cadence of important data readouts in the near future.”
“Affimed has an impressive pipeline of three clinical stage assets, that have all delivered clinical proof of concept and have validated the company’s strategy to harness the innate immune system to fight cancer,” said Shawn Leland. “These data together with the successful transformation of the organization were central to my decision to join the team. I am eager to lead Affimed toward meaningful inflection points so that these much-needed novel therapies reach those currently underserved patients and increase value for our shareholders.”
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are often indicated by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “look forward to,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places throughout this release and include statements regarding the Company’s intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses and current expectations concerning, among other things, the potential of AFM13, AFM24, AFM28 and the Company’s other product candidates, the value of its ROCK® platform, its ongoing and planned preclinical development and clinical trials, its collaborations and development of its products in combination with other therapies, the timing of and its ability to make regulatory filings and obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for its product candidates, its intellectual property position, its collaboration activities, its ability to develop commercial functions, clinical trial data, its results of operations, cash needs, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, future transactions, growth and strategies, the industry in which it operates, the macroeconomic trends that may affect the industry or the Company, such as the instability in the banking sector experienced in the first quarter of 2023, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits to Affimed of orphan drug designation, the impact on its business by political events, war, terrorism, business interruptions and other geopolitical events and uncertainties, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the fact that the current clinical data of AFM13 in combination with NK cell therapy is based on AFM13 precomplexed with fresh allogeneic cord blood-derived NK cells from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as opposed to Artiva’s AB-101 and other uncertainties and factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Affimed’s filings with the SEC. Given these risks, uncertainties, and other factors, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, and the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
Investor Relations Contact
Alexander Fudukidis
Director, Investor Relations
E-Mail: a.fudukidis@affimed.com
Tel.: +1 (917) 436-8102
Media Contact
Mary Beth Sandin
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
E-Mail: m.sandin@affimed.com
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