October 2025 • PharmaTimes Magazine • 36-37
// YOUR MOVES //
Your Moves
Movers of the Month
Theolytics has named Matilde Saggese as its new Chief Medical Officer, as the Oxford-based biotech company accelerates clinical development of its lead oncolytic immunotherapy, THEO-260.
Matilde will oversee clinical and regulatory strategy for Theolytics, including trials of THEO-260 in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The therapy is currently being evaluated in the UK and US, with two different routes of administration – intravenous and intraperitoneal.
David Apelian, CEO, said: "I am thrilled to welcome Matilde as our new Chief Medical Officer. As a clinical-stage company, this is a crucial appointment for Theolytics and I am confident that with her extensive expertise in medical oncology in all phases of clinical development, Matilde will be instrumental in driving our clinical strategy for THEO-260 and our future clinical pipeline."
Matilde brings over two decades of clinical experience in treating solid and haematological malignancies. She has held roles at Careggi University Hospital in Florence, the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in London.
Her research background includes laboratory work at Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York state, as well as at the UCL Cancer Institute in London.
Sharp Services has appointed Samantha Wilson Jones as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
Samantha will lead Sharp’s global legal function, covering corporate compliance, risk management and environmental health and safety. She will also advise the Board on legal, regulatory and governance matters.
CEO Kevin Orfan said: "I am delighted to welcome Samantha to Sharp to lead what is a critical function for our business. Her legal experience across a broad range of sectors including commercial, regulatory, governance and corporate development will be of tremendous value in helping guide Sharp as we continue to grow by supporting our pharmaceutical and biotech clients and their patients."
Samantha said: "I am honoured to join Sharp, a company I’ve known since the early days of my career in the life sciences industry. Their purpose – to help make lives better – deeply resonates with me, and I look forward to contributing to advancing this important work alongside such a dedicated team."
She brings nearly 30 years of legal and commercial experience in life sciences, with senior roles at GSK, Incyte and Spark Therapeutics. She will be based at Sharp’s headquarters in Allentown PA.
Yellowstone Biosciences has announced the appointment of Jim MacDonald as Chief Executive Officer and member of its Board of Directors. The move comes as the company prepares to advance its pioneering HLA Class II oncology programmes towards clinical development.
Jim brings over 25 years of leadership experience in the biotech sector. He most recently served as Venture Partner at Altitude Life Science Ventures.
Prior to that, he was co-founder and Executive Vice President & General Counsel at Sana Biotechnology, where he played a key role in securing foundational intellectual property, scaling the business and leading its private financings and Nasdaq IPO.
Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at Juno Therapeutics, contributing to its growth, IPO and eventual acquisition by Celgene.
Neil Johnston, Chair of Yellowstone, said: “Jim is a proven biotech leader with extensive experience in building innovative life sciences companies. His experience with advancing novel oncology platforms and executing strategic financings will be instrumental as Yellowstone advances its HLA Class II programmes toward the clinic.”
Prof Paresh Vyas, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Yellowstone, explained: “Jim’s leadership comes at a critical moment for Yellowstone. His experience in scaling high-growth biotech companies will be invaluable as we translate our HLA Class II science into a robust pipeline and advance toward the clinic.”
Symeres has appointed Gabriella Gentile as Chief Operating Officer, strengthening its executive team as the company pursues ambitious transatlantic growth plans.
Gabriella brings over 25 years of international experience across the pharmaceutical, medical device and services sectors. She has held senior roles at Catalent, Roche and Aptuit, where she led transformation programmes focused on operational performance, lean methodologies and change management.
In her new role, Gabriella will lead the transformation of global operations at Symeres, expanding capabilities across the pharmaceutical value chain from inception to investigational new drug. She will focus on aligning operations with measurable performance outcomes, reinforcing Symeres’ commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
Gabriella said: "I’m delighted to join Symeres at this exciting time in their growth. Symeres operates under a cultural philosophy of openness and transparency, and I look forward to being part of developing new next-generation therapies."
Guillaume Jetten, CEO of Symeres, explained: "I’m delighted that Gabriella has accepted this position. Gabriella brings a set of highly relevant skills and experience from both her background in medicinal chemistry, but also her decades of large Pharma and biotech experience that will support the future growth plans of Symeres."
Most recently, Gabriella served as global improvement director at Catalent, where she implemented standardised operational frameworks across multiple sites. Prior to that, she consulted independently on global change and operational excellence programmes.
Her appointment marks a key milestone in Symeres’ strategy to bridge European innovation with American market presence.
Julius Clinical has appointed Bassem Saleh as Chief Executive Officer, bringing extensive leadership experience from both large and mid-sized clinical CROs.
Bassem most recently served as CEO of TFS HealthScience and has led organisations through international growth, mergers and acquisitions and the development of specialised therapeutic units in CNS, dermatology, ophthalmology and oncology. His expertise aligns with Julius Clinical’s strategy in CNS, cardiometabolic and rare diseases.
Bassem said: "I am excited to join Julius Clinical. With its strong scientific heritage and operational agility, the company has earned a reputation for delivering high-quality, flexible clinical trials for both biotech and pharma across Europe and North America. As treatments become increasingly personalised, the industry is in greater need of mid-sized, therapeutically focused global CROs."
Daniel Spasic, Chairman of the Board, explained: "I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Bassem over the years. His extensive experience leading and scaling global clinical CROs, combined with his deep understanding of industry dynamics and the needs of our biotech and pharma partners, positions him to contribute meaningfully to Julius Clinical’s long-term growth."
Julius Clinical operates across Europe and North America, managing global phase 1 – 3 and real-world evidence trials.
Backed by Ampersand Capital Partners, the company is expanding its global footprint and strengthening partnerships with biotech and pharma clients.
Owen Mumford has announced the appointment of Mark Glass as Director of Pharmaceutical Services, joining the company’s executive team at a time of continued innovation and expansion.
With over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector, Mark has worked across the full product life cycle, from clinical development through to commercialisation.
His career has seen him collaborate with a wide range of customers, from single-product innovators to multinational pharmaceutical giants, helping to build long-term partnerships and navigate complex regulatory environments.
Prior to joining Owen Mumford, Mark served as Head of Business Development EU, Health Sciences, Drug Development at SGS. He has also held senior roles at Catalent Pharma Solutions, Eurofins and Thermo Fisher Scientific, bringing a wealth of commercial and strategic insight to his new position.
Gavin Jones, Managing Director at Owen Mumford, said: “We’re excited to have Mark on board. His background and experience make him a valuable addition to both the Pharmaceutical Services team and the Executive Team. His input will strengthen these groups, helping to advance strategies aimed at growing Pharmaceutical Services and the wider business.”
Mark added: “Owen Mumford has been a trusted name in our industry for decades, with a proven reputation for innovation and quality. I’m excited to be joining the business at such a pivotal time, as we continue to launch new technologies in an ever-evolving market.”
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