Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of significant leadership hirings, firings and retirings across the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Darren Incorvaia, Marissa Russo or Donavyn Coffey, and it will be featured here at the end of each week.
Novo says goodbye to longtime CFO
Novo
Novo’s longtime chief financial officer, Karsten Munk Knudsen, will step away from the company at the end of the year. The announcement was made in tandem with the company's Q3 earnings investor call on November 4.
Knudsen’s departure will mark the end of a 27-year run at Novo. CEO Mike Doustdar told analysts on the call that the outgoing executive has served as a “trusted colleague and a highly respected leader, known for his integrity and sound judgment, and genuine commitment to patients and our people.” He will stick around through the end of 2026 to assist with the CFO transition.
Novo has already lined up a replacement in Galderma veteran Luigi La Corte, who presently holds the same position at the Swiss dermatology specialist. Story
Alnylam seeks new CCO after unexpected exit
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is seeking a new chief commercial officer as it announced that its six-year commercial chief, Tolga Tanguler, is leaving the company. There was no reason provided for his departure, but the change appears to be immediate.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biopharma was founded in 2002 and is developing RNA interference therapeutics across many areas, ranging from metabolic disease and neuroscience to cardiovascular. Its pivotal commercial drug, the transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) medicine Amvuttra, earned $1.13 billion in third-quarter sales, although investors have been skeptical of the drug's longer-term growth prospects and ultimately sent Alnylam's stock down this week.
The company is now “working with an executive search firm to support the selection of its next Chief Commercialization Officer," per the announcement. Alnylam added that it "anticipates providing an update in due course." Story
Amgen taps internal successor for quality lead
Amgen
After a 35-year biopharma stint spanning seven companies, Amgen’s chief quality officer Jackie Elbonne, Ph.D., has decided to retire at the year’s end.
Elbonne stepped into the top-quality role at California-based Amgen four years ago in 2022. Before Amgen, she held the same position at Bristol Myers Squibb, heading quality and compliance across the company’s global biologic, pharmaceutical and cell therapy franchises.
“Looking back, I’m proud to have contributed to scientific breakthroughs and medicines that have impacted millions of patients around the world—including members of my own family,” Elbonne wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing her retirement.
To lead in Elbonne’s place, Amgen has tapped her deputy and the company’s vice president of quality, Aine Hanly, Ph.D. Hanly served in a variety of roles at Amgen over nine years before leaving to become chief technology officer at Vir Biotechnology from 2021 to 2025. Last year, she returned to Amgen to take the quality VP job. Story
> Non-opioid pain medicine-focused Latigo Biotherapeutics announced the appointment of Todd Smith as its new president and CEO, effective immediately. Smith takes over as the California biotech initiates the phase 3 program of onzotrigine, an oral Nav1.8 ion channel inhibitor for acute pain.
> Björn Tackenberg, M.D., Ph.D., has been picked to lead scientific strategy at ophthalmology biopharma, Oculis Holding. Among other priorities, Tackenberg will help propel Oculis’ lead asset privosegtor, a potential first-in-class neuroprotective, through registrational studies. Release
> Genetic medicine specialist CRISPR Therapeutics appointed Sivakesava Sakhamuri, Ph.D., as its new chief technical officer. Sakhamuri will help advance CRISPR's gene editing and RNA therapies to late-stage clinical development. Release
> GOA Therapeutics snagged Dean Hakanson, M.D., formerly Gilead’s Head of U.S. Medical Affairs, as its new chief medical officer. Release
> Pfizer is making things official. The New York pharma elevated its interim CFO since August, Cecile Guegan, into the permanent position. Release
> Anavex Life Sciences transitioned interim CEO Terrie Kellmeyer, Ph.D., to president and CEO following clearance of its IND application in Fragile X syndrome for its small molecular agonist blarcamesine. Release
> Hengrui Pharmaceuticals grabbed Boehringer Ingelheim alum Zhang Wei, Ph.D., as its new development chief. The exec will chip in as the Chinese biopharma’s operational and development needs evolve. PDF
> Processa Pharmaceuticals, a Florida-based immunology pharma, named Gregory Flesher as its new chief operating officer. Flesher was previously CEO of Ambros Therapeutics, Reneo Pharmaceuticals and Novus Therapeutics. Release
> 15-year Abbott vet Andrew Glass has joined Dutch biotech Trained Therapeutix Discovery, focused on developing a nanomedicine platform to modulate the innate immune system, as its new CEO. Release