Voyager Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Nathan Jorgensen as Chief Financial Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Voyager Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VYGR) announced the appointment of Nathan Jorgensen, Ph.D., MBA, as Chief Financial Officer, effective July 8, 2024. Jorgensen, bringing extensive experience in investment banking, healthcare investing, and biotech operations, previously served as CFO at Vor Biopharma. He raised over $400 million in financings and managed various operational domains. Voyager's CEO, Alfred W. Sandrock, Jr., emphasized Jorgensen's blend of strategic leadership and neuroscience expertise as important for advancing their neurotherapeutics pipeline. Jorgensen expressed enthusiasm for Voyager's innovative platform and its potential to overcome neurology delivery challenges.

Positive

• Appointment of a highly experienced CFO with a strong background in investment banking, healthcare investing, and biotech operations.
• Nathan Jorgensen previously raised over $400 million in public and private financings while at Vor Biopharma.
• Jorgensen's expertise in neuroscience and strategic financial management is expected to benefit Voyager’s clinical-stage and emerging pipeline of neurotherapeutics.
• Voyager's CEO highlighted the company's strong financial position and the potential for value creation in their neurogenetic medicines pipeline.

Negative

• The effectiveness of Jorgensen’s appointment and its impact on Voyager's stock performance will take time to materialize.
• There is inherent risk associated with leadership changes, which may cause uncertainty among shareholders.

LEXINGTON, Mass., June 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR), a biotechnology company dedicated to advancing neurogenetic medicines, today announced the appointment of Nathan Jorgensen, Ph.D., MBA, as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective July 8, 2024. Jorgensen brings to Voyager a breadth of experience spanning investment banking, public and private healthcare investing, sell-side research, and operational roles in biotech, as well as expertise in neuroscience. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for Vor Biopharma Inc.

“Voyager has built a strong financial position from which to advance our clinical-stage and emerging pipeline of neurotherapeutics based on genetically-validated targets,” said Alfred W. Sandrock, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Voyager. “Nathan’s highly differentiated background integrates operational and strategic leadership, a deep understanding of value creation in the life sciences, and expertise in neuroscience, which will be critical as we advance additional programs into the clinic and build a multi-modality neurotherapeutics company.”

As CFO at Vor Bio, Jorgensen oversaw finance, communications, facilities, GMP, and IT and raised over $400 million in public and private financings. Prior to this, he managed global public and private healthcare investing, including in early-stage biotech companies, for the Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar. Previously, Jorgensen led pharma and biotech investing efforts on the all-cap equity healthcare team at Calamos Investments LLC, a diversified global investment firm. Before joining Calamos, he covered mid- and large-cap biotech companies as an equity research analyst at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated. Prior to entering the financial sector, Jorgensen investigated the pathobiology of Parkinson’s disease as a postdoctoral scientist at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He received his MBA from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Minnesota, and his B.A. from St. John’s University.

“Voyager is advancing a suite of transformative neurogenetic medicines, with multiple opportunities to create value for patients and for shareholders,” said Jorgensen. “I am excited about the possibilities offered by Voyager’s differentiated platform, along with its unparalleled team in the field of neuroscience. The pipeline is poised to tackle the delivery hurdles that have held back progress in neurology, and I look forward to applying my strategic financial expertise to enable the team to execute and deliver on the promise of its tremendous science.”

About Voyager Therapeutics
Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to leveraging the power of human genetics to modify the course of – and ultimately cure – neurological diseases. Our pipeline includes programs for Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple other diseases of the central nervous system. Many of our programs are derived from our TRACER™ AAV capsid discovery platform, which we have used to generate novel capsids and identify associated receptors to potentially enable high brain penetration with genetic medicines following intravenous dosing. Some of our programs are wholly owned, and some are advancing with partners including Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease; Novartis Pharma AG; Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.; and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. For more information, visit www.voyagertherapeutics.com.

Voyager Therapeutics^® is a registered trademark, and TRACER™ is a trademark, of Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as “potential,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “will,” “may,” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

For example, all statements Voyager makes regarding the timing and effective date of the appointment of Dr. Jorgensen, the contributions Dr. Jorgensen may make in his role with the Company, and Voyager’s ability to advance additional programs into the clinic and build a multi-modality neurotherapeutics company are forward looking.

All forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by Voyager’s management that, although Voyager believes such forward-looking statements to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that Voyager expected. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the continued development of Voyager’s technology platforms, including Voyager’s TRACER platform and its antibody screening technology; the ability to initiate and conduct preclinical studies in animal models; the development by third parties of capsid identification platforms that may be competitive to Voyager’s TRACER capsid discovery platform; Voyager’s ability to create and protect intellectual property rights associated with the TRACER capsid discovery platform, the capsids identified by the platform, and development candidates for Voyager’s pipeline programs; the initiation, timing, conduct and outcomes of Voyager’s preclinical and clinical studies; the possibility or the timing of Voyager’s receipt of program reimbursement, development or commercialization milestones, option exercise, and other payments under Voyager’s existing licensing or collaboration agreements; the ability of Voyager to negotiate and complete licensing or collaboration agreements with other parties on terms acceptable to Voyager and the third parties; the ability to attract and retain talented directors, employees, and contractors; and the sufficiency of cash resources to fund its operations and pursue its corporate objectives.

These statements are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties that are described in Voyager’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in the press release is as of the date of this press release, and any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Voyager undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise this information or any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contacts
Trista Morrison, NACD.DC, tmorrison@vygr.com
Investors: Adam Bero, Ph.D., abero@kendallir.com
Media: Brooke Shenkin, brooke@scientpr.com

FAQ

Who is the new CFO of Voyager Therapeutics as of July 8, 2024?

Nathan Jorgensen, Ph.D., MBA, has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer of Voyager Therapeutics.

What experience does Nathan Jorgensen bring to Voyager Therapeutics?

Nathan Jorgensen has extensive experience in investment banking, healthcare investing, biotech operations, and neuroscience research.

What was Nathan Jorgensen's previous role before joining Voyager Therapeutics?

Before joining Voyager Therapeutics, Nathan Jorgensen served as Chief Financial Officer at Vor Biopharma.

What financial accomplishments did Nathan Jorgensen achieve at Vor Biopharma?

At Vor Biopharma, Nathan Jorgensen raised over $400 million in public and private financings.

How does Voyager Therapeutics expect Nathan Jorgensen to impact the company?

Voyager Therapeutics expects Nathan Jorgensen’s strategic leadership and neuroscience expertise to drive the advancement of their neurotherapeutics pipeline and create value for shareholders.