Toft Group Lands CEO for Neurotrope

January 29, 2018 – Executive search firm Toft Group Executive Search has recruited Charles S. Ryan as a board member and CEO at NY-headquartered clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Neurotrope. He assumes his new role in two weeks. Mark Soufleris, Toft Group’s pharmaceutical practice leader, led the search along with vice president Raul Lamas.

“We are proud to have placed Dr. Ryan as Neurotrope’s next CEO,” said Robin Toft, the search firm’s CEO. “His experience in late-stage drug development and commercialization in the Alzheimer’s disease space will add great value to the leadership team and for the company’s investors over time.”

Dr. Ryan brings to Neurotrope an extensive background in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. He is currently serving as president and CEO of Orthobond Corp., where he is responsible for all aspects of the company’s daily operations and works closely with the board of directors developing the short and long term strategic plans for the company. Previously, he served as SVP and chief intellectual property counsel at Forest Laboratories for more than 10 years, where he managed several intellectual property estates, including participating in the development and commercial launch of Namenda (memantine HCL), a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease that generated peak sales of approximately $1.5 billion in 2014.

Related: Shifting Needs in Life Sciences Attract Non-Traditional Talent

Dr. Ryan also has served as vice president and general counsel for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. There, he provided guidance on business, legal and public policy issues, including licensing, patenting, partnerships, alliances, compliance and regulatory matters. Dr. Ryan currently serves on the board of two public companies, Applied DNA Sciences and BioRestorative Therapies, in addition to Orthobond.

Life Sciences Recruiters Turning More Often to Outside Talent

As the life sciences sector continues to expand and reshape itself, organizations in the field are looking to renew and refresh their leadership ranks. In demand: multi-skilled executives who can effect change on many levels. These new captains of industry, according to recruiters, are younger, more intuitive and understand that what works today might not be what’s going to work tomorrow.


Stepping up to the task are search consultants, recruiting well-rounded individuals who understand science as well as the dynamics of a transitioning industry. Here’s some further reading from Hunt Scanlon Media.

ESR Healthcare & Life Sciences Recruiting Special Issue
This issue of Hunt Scanlon Media’s ESR is devoted to finding leaders for life sciences and healthcare organizations. Given the massive transformation occurring in these two sectors, everything in this issue likely applies to you. You’ll also find our first-ever Top 50 list of recruiters dedicated to this space.


“The fundamental science behind Neurotrope’s lead drug candidate, bryostatin, is very solid,” said Dr. Ryan. “The compound’s unique mechanism of action represents one of the most promising therapeutic approaches to not only slow cognitive decline, but actually improve cognition in patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, a patient population that is extremely difficult to treat. I look forward to working with my new colleagues at Neurotrope to advance the development of bryostatin for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.”

Related: Leadership Void: Change Agents Sought for Life Sciences Sector

Neurotrope is at the forefront of developing a new approach to combating Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. The company’s world-class science offers the potential to realize a paradigm shift to overcome one of today’s most challenging clinical problems – finding a way to slow or even prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Life Sciences Specialists

With offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Boston, Toft Group Executive Search specializes in searches for organizations in biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics. The firm recently filled senior-level roles for Fate Therapeutics, Agendia, OPKO Health, NanoString Technologies and Mesa Biotech.

Mr. Soufleris, who also serves as VP of the firm, has deep life-science industry experience along with a talent and passion for executive search. He has spent nearly 30 years working with pharmaceutical companies.

Mr. Lamas leads Toft Group’s San Diego-based CFO franchise. He joined the firm in 2013, bringing extensive experience recruiting C-level executives for early-stage and well-established companies. During his career, he completed many high-profile searches throughout the medical device, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and professional services industries.

Related: Life Sciences Specialist Expands to Pharmaceutical Capital

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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