Pacific Biosciences Further Expands Leadership Team with Appointment of Dr. Catherine Ball to Newly Created Position of Senior Vice President of Research

Rhea-AI Summary

Pacific Biosciences (PACB) announces three key appointments to enhance its leadership team. Dr. Catherine Ball becomes Senior Vice President of Research, focusing on expanding research and technology development. Kathleen Lynch joins as Head of Global Government Affairs and Communications, bringing extensive experience from Illumina and other firms. Michele Farmer is appointed Chief Accounting Officer, also from Illumina, with over 16 years in finance. These strategic hires aim to drive growth and innovation within the company.

Positive

• Dr. Catherine Ball's extensive background in genomics from AncestryDNA can enhance R&D efforts.
• Kathleen Lynch's experience in government affairs can strengthen PACB's policy influence and market access.
• Michele Farmer's financial expertise is expected to support strategic growth initiatives.

Negative

• None.

Kathleen Lynch has joined as Head of Global Government Affairs and Communications and Michele Farmer has joined as Chief Accounting Officer

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (Nasdaq: PACB), a leading provider of high-quality, long-read sequencing platforms, today announced the appointment of three new hires to its growing team. Dr. Catherine Ball joins the company as Senior Vice President of Research, Kathleen Lynch joins as Head of Global Government Affairs and Corporate Communications, and Michele Farmer joins as Chief Accounting Officer.

Dr. Ball is a product of the California education system having completed her PhD in Molecular Biology at UCLA and her Postdoctoral research at Berkeley prior to 17 years at Stanford. Most recently, she was the Chief Scientific Officer of AncestryDNA where over the course of nine years she built and led a team of population geneticists, statisticians, computer scientists and laboratory scientists to create the scientific roadmap, genotyping platform, and analytical approaches behind the AncestryDNA and AncestryHealth direct-to-consumer products and services.

“Cathy is a proven, high-impact executive and scientist with the personal mission to bring the benefits of genomics to people around the world,” shared Mark Van Oene, Chief Operations Officer at PacBio. “In building and leading this new function, Cathy will focus on expanding the team and directing investments into early research and technology development activities to broaden our toolkit and feed our product development pipeline so we can positively impact health care innovation.”

“It is an exciting time to join PacBio and I am honored to have the opportunity to join the talented teams as we make research and collaboration investments to further explore PacBio’s current products, open new long-read markets with complete applications and investigate additional technologies and approaches to build a multi-omic portfolio,” said Dr. Catherine Ball, Senior Vice President of Research at PacBio.

Kathy Lynch brings a deep and diverse background in healthcare and biotech, to this newly created role to lead global government affairs and corporate communications. Kathy joins PacBio from Illumina where she started the company’s government affairs efforts in 2015 and served as the Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy. Kathy previously guided government affairs and held leadership roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Life Technologies and Invitrogen. Kathy received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Hampshire and her Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law.

“Over her career within the genomics ecosystem, Kathy has established herself as a key driver who creates and implements strategies to propel access to genomics technology globally,” said Christian Henry, President and CEO of PacBio. “Our team is excited to have Kathy on board as we believe her unique expertise at the intersection of innovation, business and policy will be a force-multiplier as we more deeply embed ourselves in the genomics community to advance human health.”

“I have dedicated my career to work across constituencies to drive the adoption of innovative technologies in healthcare and biotech and I am thrilled to join the impressive team at PacBio,” said Kathy Lynch, Head of Global Government Affairs and Corporate Communications at PacBio.

Michele Farmer joins PacBio from Illumina, where she was the Senior Director of Accounting.  She joined Illumina in 2009 and has more than sixteen years of progressive experience in accounting, finance, and auditing roles. Michele most recently led a team responsible for general accounting, consolidation, revenue recognition, mergers and acquisitions, financial systems, financial reporting, and technical accounting.  Michele is passionate about building and growing teams to support the company’s strategic goals and objectives. Prior to joining Illumina, Michele started her career as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers.  Michele is a Certified Public Accountant and earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from San Diego State University.  

“We are thrilled to welcome Michele and her deep finance experience to our team as we drive our business forward in this new phase of commercialization and growth,” said Susan Kim, Chief Financial Officer at PacBio. “Michele’s leadership, extensive knowledge of the field and passion for genomics and its potential to meaningfully improve human health are a perfect addition to our team.”

“I am grateful to join the PacBio team at this pivotal time as we dramatically increase our infrastructure and operations to support sustained long-term growth,” shared Michele Farmer, Chief Accounting Officer at PacBio. “The opportunity to continue my career with this team and lead this function is truly exciting.”

About Pacific Biosciences
Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ: PACB) is empowering life scientists with highly accurate long-read sequencing. The company’s innovative instruments are based on Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT®) Sequencing technology, which delivers a comprehensive view of genomes, transcriptomes, and epigenomes, enabling access to the full spectrum of genetic variation in any organism. Cited in thousands of peer-reviewed publications, PacBio® sequencing systems are in use by scientists around the world to drive discovery in human biomedical research, plant and animal sciences, and microbiology. For more information, please visit www.pacb.com and follow @PacBio.

PacBio products are provided for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to anticipated growth and commercialization efforts, and strategic priorities and direction. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the following cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company’s Forms 8-K, 10-K, and 10-Q. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Contacts

Investors:
Todd Friedman
650.521.8450
ir@pacificbiosciences.com

Media:
Jen Carroll
858.449.8082
pr@pacificbiosciences.com

FAQ

Who are the new executives at Pacific Biosciences (PACB)?

The new executives are Dr. Catherine Ball as Senior Vice President of Research, Kathleen Lynch as Head of Global Government Affairs and Communications, and Michele Farmer as Chief Accounting Officer.

What is the background of Dr. Catherine Ball at PACB?

Dr. Catherine Ball has a PhD in Molecular Biology and was previously the Chief Scientific Officer at AncestryDNA, where she led a team focused on genetic technology.

What role will Kathleen Lynch play at PACB?

Kathleen Lynch will lead global government affairs and corporate communications, leveraging her experience from Illumina and other firms to enhance PACB's policy strategies.

What experience does Michele Farmer bring to PACB?

Michele Farmer joins from Illumina with over 16 years in finance and accounting, including roles in revenue recognition and mergers and acquisitions.