KYTHERA Appoints Francois Kress to Board of Directors
- Prada Chief Executive Brings Wealth of Expertise in Building Aspirational Brands -
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 27, 2010 - KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (KYTHERA) today announced that it has named Francois Kress, currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Prada USA, to its Board of Directors.
Kress joins KYTHERA's Board with more than 15 years of experience in building and commercializing successful luxury brands. Prior to Prada he was CEO of Bulgari US, the US retailing arm of the leading Italian jeweler where he significantly expanded the brand's presence in North America. He has also held numerous positions within LVMH (Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton), including President of Fendi North America, CEO of the LVMH Fashion Group Australia and New Zealand, and President of Louis Vuitton Malletier Thailand, where he oversaw the Vuitton, Loewe, Celine and Fendi brands.
Kress holds a degree in mathematics from the École Polytechnique in France and degrees in Business and Civil Engineering from the Corps des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris. He serves as a Board Member on the Luxury Education Foundation.
"Francois' success in leading luxury brands makes him a unique addition to the KYTHERA board," said Keith Leonard, President and Chief Executive Officer of KYTHERA. "He has hands on experience with high integrity brands that have significant crossover into our target customer. From founding to date we have focused primarily on building out the science behind our lead product, ATX-101. Now we must shift more attention to our eventual customers - their desires and aspirations. Francois brings to our Board luxury brand experience that will help us set the standard for customer attentiveness in aesthetic medicine."
Kress joins existing board members Camille Samuels, managing director, Versant Ventures; Robert Nelsen, managing director, ARCH Venture Partners; David Schnell, MD, managing director, Prospect Venture Partners; Hironori Hozoji, Investment Officer, JAFCO Life Science Investment; Dennis Fenton, former executive vice president, operations, Amgen; Joseph Turner, former CFO, Myogen; Nathaniel E. David, PhD, KYTHERA co-founder; and Keith Leonard, KYTHERA co-founder, president and chief executive officer.
About KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel prescription products for the aesthetic market. KYTHERA has an innovative pipeline, with its lead program in adipolysis (ATX-101) starting Phase 3 programs this year. The company also has active research programs in facial contouring, pigmentation modulation and hair and fat biology. Find more information at www.kytherabiopharma.com.
Contact: KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Erica Bazerkanian
Director, Marketing
818-587-4514
[email protected]