SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Denali Therapeutics Inc. ("Denali"), a biotechnology company focused on developing effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that Steve E. Krognes will join the company as Chief Financial Officer effective October 1, 2015. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Mr. Krognes will lead the finance function and certain other administrative functions.
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Mr. Krognes joins Denali from Genentech, where he has served as CFO and as a member of the Genentech Executive Committee since 2009. Prior to that, he led Roche's global Mergers & Acquisition team for five years and served on its global finance leadership team. Mr. Krognes has also worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, management consultant at McKinsey & Company and as a venture capitalist in Scandinavia.
"Steve has a stellar track record as a corporate financial leader," said Dr. Ryan Watts, Co-Founder and CEO of Denali. "His extensive experience complements the rest of Denali's leadership team, and he shares our dedication to discover and develop effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases."
"I am thrilled to join Denali's leadership team and to contribute to building the world's premier company focused on neurodegenerative diseases. Given recent advances in our understanding of many key causes of these diseases, I believe the time is right to tackle them systematically. Denali has world leading expertise in this area, and I look forward to helping enable the development of drugs for patients suffering from these devastating illnesses," said Mr. Krognes.
Mr. Krognes led numerous global strategic projects during twelve years at Genentech and Roche, including the acquisition of Genentech, its subsequent integration into Roche, the acquisition of Ventana Medical Systems, divestment of Roche's OTC business, the global integration of InterMune into Genentech/Roche, and a global cost restructuring program resulting in more than $2B annual cost savings. Mr. Krognes has represented Genentech on the Board and Executive Committee of the California Life Science Association since 2010 and served as Chairman of the Genentech Access to Care Foundation since 2009. In 2014, Mr. Krognes was elected to the Board of Trustees of the California Academy of Sciences.
Mr. Krognes received his undergraduate degree in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Norwegian Air Force.
About Denali Therapeutics Inc.
Denali Therapeutics Inc. ("Denali") is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of therapies for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS and others. Denali was founded by scientists, industry experts and investors who share the vision that recent scientific insights into the genetic causes and biological processes underlying neurodegenerative disease, together with new translational medicine tools, offer an unprecedented opportunity to discover and develop effective medicines. Denali is rigorously pursuing a science-driven approach to translational medicine and clinical development. Founding investors include Fidelity Biosciences, ARCH Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures and the Alaska Permanent Fund (represented by Crestline Investors). To learn more, visit www.denalitherapeutics.com.
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SOURCE Denali Therapeutics Inc.