Monika Vnuk and Matt Lane join Blackstone Life Sciences as Managing Directors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blackstone Life Sciences (“BXLS”), Blackstone’s life sciences business, announced today that Dr. Monika Vnuk and Matt Lane have joined BXLS as Managing Directors in the firm’s Cambridge office. Dr. Vnuk joins from Pfizer, where she served as Vice President of Worldwide Business Development, having recently led Pfizer’s partnership with BioNTech for their COVID-19 vaccine. Mr. Lane joins with more than 20 years of experience in advising life sciences companies, including more than 15 years at Cowen Group, a leading life sciences focused investment bank.

Dr. Nicholas Galakatos, Global Head of Blackstone Life Sciences said: “We are excited to welcome Monika and Matt to the team. Their collective expertise in complex deal structuring, and their networks in the biopharmaceutical sector will help us expand our investment activities as we seek to advance important medicines to patients.”

Before joining Blackstone Life Sciences, Dr. Vnuk spent nearly 15 years in leadership roles at Pfizer, including most recently as Vice President of Worldwide Business Development. In that role she led the negotiation of the successful partnership with BioNTech directed at the global co-development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Before joining Pfizer, Dr. Vnuk worked in investment banking at Bank of America and at Oxford Bioscience Partners, a life sciences venture capital firm. Dr. Vnuk holds an MD degree from the Boston University School of Medicine and a B.A. from Boston University.

Prior to joining Blackstone Life Sciences, Mr. Lane was a Managing Director at Gilmartin Group LLC, a strategic advisory firm. Before joining Gilmartin, Mr. Lane spent more than 15 years with Cowen Group as a Managing Director where he focused on supporting life sciences companies at all stages of their development. Before working in finance, Mr. Lane served as Press Secretary to US Senator Judd Gregg. He received a B.A. from Amherst College.

In July 2020, BXLS raised the largest private life sciences fund to date and currently has more than $7 billion in assets under management.

About Blackstone Life Sciences

Blackstone Life Sciences is an industry-leading private investment platform with capabilities to invest across the life cycle of companies and products within the key life science sectors. By combining scale investments and hands-on operational leadership, Blackstone Life Sciences helps bring to market promising new medicines and medical technologies that improve patients’ lives. More information is provided at https://www.blackstone.com/our-businesses/life-sciences/.