Appointments

Clinical stage biotech company DestinyPharmahasannounced the appointment of Chris Tovey, who will be replacing Dr Debra Barker as chief executive officer. The appointment will be made official on 1 October 2023, when Dr Barker will return to her previous role as non-executive director.

Nick Rodgers, who is also leaving his role as chairman for the company, commented: “Bringing Chris on as the new CEO is a critical appointment as the company moves towards commercialising its advanced clinical stage assets, which have the potential to provide transformative treatments for patients. With Chris’s appointment agreed, it is the correct time for me to step back from the company, and I wish Chris and the team every success as Destiny continues on its growth journey.”

Previously Chris Tovey has worked in multiple senior commercial positions, such as vice president and head of global sales and marketing at UCB Pharma; he also spent 18 years in senior roles at GSK in a variety of therapeutic areas. Most recently, he acted as chief operations officer, executive vice president and managing director of Europe and International at Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Tovey stated: “I am delighted to be joining Destiny, where there is an incredibly exciting opportunity to progress a highly innovative product pipeline, targeting prevention of infections and representing powerful new offerings to the healthcare community that is seeking new approaches to treat and prevent infectious diseases. Central will be XF-73, which following on from excellent phase 2b clinical data, and a positive endorsement from our Scientific Advisory Board, is phase 3 ready for both US and European development. I am really looking forward to September, when I can take over the reins from Debra, who has made a significant impact in a short space of time.”