Chutes & Ladders: GSK vax head Slaoui to retire

Chutes and Ladders

Welcome to this week's Chutes and Ladders, our roundup of hirings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word--or the bad--from your shop to Eric Sagonowsky (email) or Amirah Al Idrus (email | Twitter), and we will feature it here at the end of each week.

GSK vax head Moncef Slaoui to retire

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GlaxoSmithKline
Moncef Slaoui
announced his 2017 retirement.

After nearly 30 years at GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK), vaccines business head Moncef Slaoui is set for retirement on June 30, 2017. Slaoui joined the British pharma in 1988 and has held a board seat since 2006; he’ll step down from the board on March 31 and will serve as an advisor from that point until his retirement. Throughout his tenure at the company, Slaoui “has been personally involved in the discovery and development of some of our most innovative vaccines and spearheaded the overhaul of GSK’s pharmaceutical R&D,” chairman Philip Hampton said in a statement. His announcement follows a similar move by CEO Andrew Witty, who is stepping down in March. Release | Story


Arena fires CMO, hires CFO in exec shakeup

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Arena
CMO William Shanahan was terminated without cause.

On the heels of its May appointment of president and CEO Amit Munshi, Arena ($ARNA) this week said that its CMO William Shanahan has been terminated without cause. Shanahan had served as CMO since 2004, BioSpace reports, and further information about his departure was not released. Following that SEC filing Monday, Arena--which has been struggling to grow its obesity med Belviq--said Wednesday it has hired Kevin Lind to serve as CFO. Lind brings to Arena more than 15 years in healthcare banking and private equity, and has served in various roles at TPG and Lehman Brothers. BioSpace | Filing | More


Eli Lilly promotes Aarti Shah to CIO

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Eli Lilly
Aarti Shah was named CIO.

Effective July 1, Eli Lilly’s ($LLY) Aarti Shah will serve as CIO, moving up from her previous position as global brand development leader for immunology, which she has held since 2013. As CIO, Shah will lead Lilly’s global IT infrastructure, reporting to CFO Derica Rice. Shah first joined Lilly in 1994 as a senior statistician and has since served in the U.S. and abroad in various leadership roles, Lilly said. "I want to create an environment in which IT enables and brings innovative solutions to business transformations across Lilly's entire drug development value chain from discovery to commercial,” Shah said in a statement. Release


Former uniQure helmsman Aldag to lead Hookipa

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Hookipa
Jörn Aldag was named CEO.

Half a year after his sudden resignation at uniQure ($QURE), Jörn Aldag has resurfaced as CEO at Vienna vaccine biotech Hookipa. He’ll take the position of Dr. Katherine Cohen, who founded Hookipa in 2011 and has guided its science to the clinical stage. Aldag said the company is prepared to start a Phase I trial for its lead candidate, HB-101 against cytomegalovirus, in the coming months. Hookipa also has a HPV immunotherapy entering preclinical work. The CEO resigned as helmsman of gene therapy pioneer uniQure late last year and was quickly replaced by Dan Soland. He’s chairman at Molecular Partners and a board member of Unum Therapeutics, roles he will keep as he picks up CEO duties at Hookipa. Release | Story


Ax falls on 33% of Chiasma ($CHMA) staff after trial design doubts scuttle approval hopes. Story


Biotech

Wilson Therapeutics brought on Rick Lilley as its chief regulatory officer. Release

Thomas Ross joined Valeant ($VRX) as its senior lead independent director. Release

Aprea named Christian Schade its president and CEO. Release

Brett Reynolds came back on at Cogentix Medical ($CGNT) as its CFO. Release

Minoryx Therapeutics appointed Uwe Meya as its chief medical officer. Release