Ins and Outs: Top drawer shuffles at Cytomos, Sanofi and Maxion

Cytomos has announced the appointment of Fernanda Masri as chief commercial and innovation officer and Christel Fenge as techno-commercial adviser.

While Masri will oversee the biotechnology firm’s commercialization strategy, Fenge will be responsible for the company’s ‘go to market’ strategy.

“We are delighted that Fernanda and Christel have joined the Cytomos team […]. Fernanda will spearhead the company’s commercialization plans and our ‘go to market’ strategy and Christel will play a central role within it,” said David Rigterink, CEO of Cytomos. 

Before joining Cytomos, Masri served as head of innovation manufacturing and collaborations at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. She has also worked at Sartorius, iPSCs, and Center for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) in Canada. Whereas Fenge joins Cytomos from Cytiva, and has previously worked at Recipharm Bio and Astra Zeneca to name a few. 

With its AuraCyt technology, Cytomos, specializing in advanced therapy and medical products (ATMPs), claims that it would expedite biological drug research and development, streamline production, with real-time monitoring and improved automation prospects.

Sanofi 

Sanofi has appointed François-Xavier Roger as its chief financial officer (CFO) and a member of its executive committee. Succeeding Jean-Baptiste Chasseloup de Chatillon, Roger will be based in Paris, France.  

“As we enter the next phase of launch and growth, it’s a pleasure to welcome onboard François-Xavier Roger, a CFO with a proven track record in accelerated value creation. Since joining in 2018, Jean-Baptiste de Chatillon has been instrumental in progressing our Play to Win Strategy. Under his leadership, our finance organization has been modernized into a team that supports our mission and execution of our strategy on a daily basis. We are proud of Jean-Baptiste’s next step,” said Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi. 

Roger has previously served as the CFO of food and drink corporation Nestlé for 8+ years. Prior to this, he worked at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Danone Asia, and Millicom. 

“It is with great enthusiasm that I join Sanofi in this dynamic moment marked by significant transformation. I am excited by the opportunity to further improve patient outcomes and deliver increased shareholder value in the years to come,” said Roger. 

The appointment will come into effect on April 1, 2024. 

Maxion Therapeutics 

Maxion has appointed Arndt Schottelius as its CEO, effective on March 1, 2024. The biotechnology company developing antibody-drugs has also named its co-founder and CEO John McCafferty as the chief technology officer. 

“I am proud of what we have achieved so far at Maxion and am pleased to welcome Arndt to the team to guide the transition of the Company into the next stage of our development. […] The team is keen to work closely with Arndt and benefit from his extensive experience in antibody drug development to ensure we reach our ambitious goals,” said McCafferty. 

With 25+ years of experience, Schottelius has previously worked as chief scientific officer at Affimed. He has also held leadership roles at Kymab (acquired by Sanofi), MorphoSys, and Genentech. 

“I am delighted to join Maxion Therapeutics at such an exciting time in the company’s development. I look forward to working with the leadership team and the Board to maximize the value of the company’s proprietary KnotBody technology,” said Schottelius.