NEW HAVEN, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kolltan Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel biologics targeting receptor tyrosine kinases, today announced key developments within its leadership team. The Company has appointed Jane Henderson to the newly established position of Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Business Officer, effective immediately. Ms. Henderson will be responsible for finance, business development, investor relations, legal, and company operations and will provide leadership for corporate and financial strategy. The Company further announced today the appointment of Keith J. C. Darragh to the position of Vice President, Finance and Administration. Mr. Darragh will report to Ms. Henderson, and his appointment is effective immediately.
“I am excited about the direction and continued momentum at Kolltan and our demonstrated ability to attract highly accomplished professionals to our growing leadership team,” said Jerry McMahon, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kolltan Pharmaceuticals. “Jane Henderson’s exemplary transactional expertise has been integral to our success and to the achievement of important corporate milestones for the Company, including the completion of our recent $60 million financing. We are very pleased that she is assuming her new dual role within the Company. We also welcome Keith Darragh as we expand our senior financial team. He brings to Kolltan a deep knowledge of accounting and financial planning as well as extensive experience in public life science companies.”
Ms. Henderson stated, “This is an important period for Kolltan as we advance our lead programs in clinical and preclinical development and continue to execute on key corporate objectives. Kolltan is differentiated by our people, science and pipeline. I look forward to further working with Jerry, Keith and the rest of our team to ensure prudent and strategic use of capital to drive shareholder value.”
Ms. Henderson has more than 25 years of finance experience in the life sciences industry. In addition to her role at Kolltan, Ms. Henderson currently serves on the Board of Directors of Eleven Biotherapeutics. Prior to joining Kolltan, she served as Vice President, Business Development at ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where she managed the strategic option process that culminated in the successful acquisition of ISTA by Bausch + Lomb. She also oversaw the identification and evaluation of acquisitions and licensing opportunities and intellectual property strategy at ISTA. Previously, Ms. Henderson was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Panacos Pharmaceuticals and served in similar roles at Axerion Therapeutics. Prior to these corporate positions, she held senior investment banking positions for close to two decades in the health care groups of HSBC Securities, CIBC World Markets, Lehman Brothers and Salomon Brothers. She represented clients on over 95 M&A and financing deals and attained the level of Managing Director of the Health Care Groups at HSBC and CIBC. Ms. Henderson received her B.S. degree in Psychology from Duke University.
Mr. Darragh has over 15 years of experience in financial accounting and management. He joins Kolltan from Vision-Sciences, Inc., where he served as Principal Financial and Accounting Officer and Vice President, Finance. Mr. Darragh helped lead successful fundraising for the company and managed financial planning related to a major product launch. He also served as US Assistant Controller at Eisai Inc., and prior to this, he was Director of Corporate Accounting and Financial Reporting at Datascope Corp. Mr. Darragh began his career in accounting positions at companies including Genzyme Biosurgery and Sankyo Pharma and holds credentials as a certified public accountant and chartered global management accountant. He received his B.S. degree in Accounting and his M.B.A. degree in Finance from Montclair State University.
About Kolltan Pharmaceuticals
Kolltan, a privately held clinical-stage company, is focused on advancing a new generation of therapeutics in oncology and other diseases by discovering and developing novel biologic agents designed to modulate the function of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Kolltan is led by an experienced team of executives and scientists with a deep understanding of RTKs, their ligands, and cellular signaling and known for their scientific excellence. Furthermore, the team has a track record of successful product development from discovery through commercialization. Located adjacent to the Yale Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut, Kolltan is working in close collaboration with the laboratory of Kolltan co-founder, Dr. Joseph Schlessinger, as well as the Yale medical and scientific community to bring important medicines to cancer patients and other patients with serious diseases. The Company's R&D pipeline is advancing rapidly, with the first clinical trial initiated in January 2014.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements in this news release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Kolltan constitute forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Kolltan anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change. However, while Kolltan may elect to update these forward-looking statements in the future, Kolltan specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.
For more information about Kolltan Pharmaceuticals, please visit www.kolltan.com.