TUCSON, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Calimmune Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company, has expanded its leadership team with the appointment of Mark Smith as chief financial officer. Mr. Smith brings more than 20 years of operational, financial and transactional experience to the position, in which he will oversee all financial operations and transactional activities for the company worldwide.
“Mark is an accomplished finance executive who, throughout his career, has successfully navigated a variety of strategic transactions, including private and public financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate partnerships and debt financings,” said Louis Breton, chief executive officer of Calimmune. “His deep business acumen further rounds out Calimmune’s growing leadership team, providing added strength as we continue to expand our gene therapy platform into novel application areas and advance our clinical programs.”
Mr. Smith has helped guide and grow companies in the life science, medical device and renewable biofuels sectors, most recently serving as CFO at Fluidic Energy. Previously, he held the same role for Gevo, where he played a key role in the company’s $123 million initial public offering. He also held the CFO post for biotech firm Replidyne during its initial public offering through its 2009 sale to Cardiovascular Systems, and has served in various financial executive capacities at healthcare companies including Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, Neuromedical Systems, Genzyme Corp. and Genetrix. He began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers, holding accounting roles in Australia and the U.S. Mr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Canberra, Australia.
About Calimmune
Calimmune Inc. is a clinical-stage, international biotechnology company focused on developing novel gene therapies that have the potential to improve and protect the lives of patients by enhancing their immune system. The company was founded in 2006 from technology developed in the labs of Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology), Irvin Chen, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles) and Inder M. Verma, Ph.D. (Salk Institute for Biological Studies). Calimmune’s lead product candidate for HIV, now in Phase I/II studies, is being evaluated as a one-time treatment to prevent HIV progression to AIDS. The company is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, with labs and branch offices in Pasadena, California, and Sydney, Australia.
