Athira Pharma Appoints Rachel Lenington as Chief Technology Officer, Head of Product Development Strategy
Athira Pharma (NASDAQ: ATHA) appointed Rachel Lenington as Chief Technology Officer, effective June 14, 2021. Lenington brings over 20 years of experience from organizations like Seagen Inc and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her expertise in R&D, drug development, and commercialization is expected to bolster Athira's efforts in neurodegenerative disease treatments. CEO Leen Kawas expressed optimism about her leadership enhancing the company's product strategies. Athira focuses on developing small molecules to restore neuronal health, notably its lead candidate, ATH-1017, targeting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s dementia.
- Rachel Lenington's appointment may strengthen leadership with over 20 years of industry experience.
- Her background in R&D and commercialization is expected to enhance Athira's product development strategy.
- The leadership change brings fresh perspectives that could accelerate the development of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
- Concerns about continuity in leadership as a result of the management change.
- Potential experience gaps in the executive team related to the transition.
BOTHELL, Wash., June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athira Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHA), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing small molecules to restore neuronal health and stop neurodegeneration, today announced the appointment of Rachel Lenington as Chief Technology Officer, Head of Product Development Strategy, effective June 14.
Ms. Lenington brings more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience at leading organizations including Seagen Inc, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Amgen with roles spanning R&D decision making, drug development and commercialization and partnership management.
“Rachel is adept at successfully integrating science and business, and I believe her unique skillset will be an asset to Athira and help guide our technical operations and integrated product strategy efforts,” said Leen Kawas, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer at Athira. “We are excited to add Rachel to our executive team and look forward to her leadership as we continue to accelerate our innovative platform to treat neurodegenerative diseases.”
Ms. Lenington added, “I am delighted to join Athira’s dedicated efforts to discover and develop innovative therapies for neurodegeneration, with the ultimate goal of helping patients, caregivers and family members all over the world. I look forward to using my broad experience in leading portfolio strategy and operations to deliver on Athira's vision to make a positive difference for those in need of effective new treatment options.”
Ms. Rachel Lenington most recently served as Senior Vice President of Program and Portfolio Management at Seagen Inc. During her tenure at Seagen, Ms. Lenington led a team responsible for strategic business operations, program, portfolio, and alliance management and played an instrumental role in scaling the organization as it transformed into a global, multi-product oncology company.
Prior to joining Seagen, Ms. Lenington was Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning and Management at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she managed strategy, business operations, and a multi-million dollar annual grant budget for select programs. Prior, Ms. Lenington held roles of increasing responsibility at Amgen for 10 years, including Director, Global Program Manager. In this role, Ms. Lenington led a team of project management professionals driving the global development and commercialization for Prolia®. She began her career as a management consultant for Accenture and Deloitte Consulting, focused on change management and ERP software implementation at Fortune 100 companies.
Ms. Lenington earned an MBA from Pepperdine University and Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Washington.
About Athira Pharma, Inc.
Athira, headquartered in the Seattle area, is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing small molecules to restore neuronal health and stop neurodegeneration. Athira aims to provide rapid cognitive improvement and alter the course of neurological diseases with our novel mechanism of action. Athira is currently advancing its lead therapeutic candidate, ATH-1017, a novel small molecule for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s dementia. For more information, visit www.athira.com. You can also follow Athira on Facebook, LinkedIn and @athirapharma on Twitter and Instagram.
Investor & Media Contact:
Julie Rathbun
Athira Pharma
Julie.rathbun@athira.com
206-769-9219
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