Coulter Partners Recruits First Chief Medical Officer for Enthera Pharmaceuticals
November 12, 2021 – Over the past few months, numerous healthcare organizations have turned to executive search firms to find new chief medical officers. In the era of COVID-19 this is likely to be another burgeoning area for executive search firms.
Life sciences search specialist Coulter Partners recently assisted in the recruitment of Antonio Speziale as the first chief medical officer of Enthera Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company developing first-in-class biologics for selected autoimmune conditions based on the discovery of a novel apoptosis pathway.
“We are delighted to welcome Antonio, who brings highly valuable clinical and scientific expertise, particularly in the area of immunology,” said Giovanni Amabile, CEO at Enthera. “Antonio will play a crucial role in steering our lead candidate, Ent001, through the clinic and to commercialization, in addition to the expansion of our pipeline as we turn our attention to fibrotic conditions and other disease areas. We thank the team at Coulter Partners for their outstanding professional support in achieving this appointment.”
Mr. Speziale brings 22 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He previously held senior management positions at several life sciences companies, including roles as translational medicine leader at Galapagos; global program clinical head at Novartis; medical director, Italy at Shire; manager of medical affairs at Genzyme; and senior product manager at Wyeth. In addition to his industry experience, Mr. Speziale is a board-certified surgeon and author of several publications in the areas of transplantation, immunology and rheumatology in major peer-reviewed journals.
Mr. Speziale will lead Enthera’s clinical team as they advance the company’s lead candidate, Ent001, through proof-of-concept studies and into Phase I clinical trials for type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease. He will also support efforts to further expand Enthera’s pipeline, using proceeds from the recent Series A financing (raising €35 million) to open new programs. “Enthera’s regenerative immunology concept is an innovative and unique approach for the treatment of underserved autoimmune disorders,” Mr. Speziale said. “It holds great promise as unlike most other therapeutics being developed for such conditions, it offers the chance to re-establish cell and organ function, reversing disease progression. I look forward to working with Giovanni and the wider team as we progress into the clinic and advance their overarching clinical development strategy.”
Related: Coulter Partners Recruits Chief Medical Officer for Memo Therapeutics
Enthera Srl is a biotech company developing first-in-class biologics to transform the treatment paradigm of specific autoimmune conditions by re-establishing stem cell capabilities in a non-traditional way. The company’s primary target indications are type 1 diabetes (T1D) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Life Sciences Focused Recruiters
Coulter Partners is a board- and senior-level global executive search specialist focused exclusively on life sciences. The firm works closely with those at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry to understand their challenges. With an extensive global network and expertise gained over 25 years in the sector, Coulter Partners have become trusted advisers on leadership in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical technology, diagnostics, health tech, CRO and services sectors. The firm also works closely with the global investor community, hiring for their own teams as well as building the boards and executive leadership teams of their portfolio companies. Its team of 95 completes over 260 assignments a year working from 14 offices across the U.K., EMEA, the U.S. and APAC.
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With the integration of technology into all facets of everyday life, the life sciences and healthcare industry is hardly alone in facing technology-related issues. These take on increased importance when they impact health, disease diagnosis, treatment and, ultimately, human longevity. Having the right leaders in place to sort through these complex challenges, say recruiters serving the sector, is critical — especially those with vision and transformational skills.
Bianca Coulter founded Coulter Partners in 2003 and has 25 years’ experience of board and C-level global search, building the leadership teams of early stage, mid-cap and global multinationals in over 20 countries. Through appointing leadership, Ms. Coulter channels her judgement and expertise to impact patient benefit and assist those at the cutting edge of life science to achieve their goals.
Related: Coulter Partners Recruits Chair and Non-Executive Director for 2N Pharma
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
