Chutes & Ladders—Biogen R&D vet gets in Formation

Biotech Chutes & Ladders—Biogen R&D vet gets in Formation By Darren Incorvaia, Zoey Becker, Will Maddox, Marissa Russo Jul 24, 2026 8:30am Chutes and Ladders Formation Bio Verdiva Bio Sanofi Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of significant leadership hirings, firings and retirings across the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Darren Incorvaia, Zoey Becker, or Will Maddox and it will be featured here at the end of each week. Biogen R&D vet gets in Formation Formation Bio AI-focused Formation Bio has found a new chief scientist with extensive experience in biotech, Big Pharma and academia. Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., is joining the 2025 Fierce 15 honoree as chief scientific officer and head of R&D. Ehlers was a professor of neurobiology at Duke University for more than a decade before pivoting to industry, serving in leadership at Pfizer before moving to Biogen to lead global R&D. He then joined Apple Tree Partners, where he helped found four companies, one of which–Ascidian Therapeutics–he led as CEO for six years until departing this month for Formation. Ehlers was also recently an entrepreneur-partner at MPM BioImpact. "We built Formation Bio around the idea that the best scientists and the best technology should work together," Formation co-founder and CEO Benjamine Liu, Ph.D., said in a release. "Mike has operated at this intersection his entire career, and he's going to be central to how we pick, design, and progress programs that we believe can have an enormous impact on patients worldwide." Release Verdiva adds experienced obesity leader as CMO Verdiva Bio Steve Marso, M.D., is making the move from chief medical officer at Metsera to obesity-focused Verdiva Bio, where he will serve in the same role. Marso spent two years at Metsera before the company's $10 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly in November. Also making the jump from Metsera to Verdiva is Jason Mallory, who takes on the title of senior vice president of clinical development. Marso will lead Fierce 15 honoree Verdiva's clinical strategy in support of its lead oral obesity-focused programs. These assets include VRB-103, a once-weekly oral amylin analog, and VRB-101, a once-weekly oral GLP-1 peptide analog. The drugs are enabled by Verdiva's proprietary oral absorption enhancer and are designed to improve convenience, tolerability and patient choice in the obesity drug market. Marso, an interventional cardiologist by training, co-authored two New England Journal of Medicine articles that helped raise the profile of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide. He joins Verdiva as VRB-103 advances through a phase 2 trial in the U.S. Release Sanofi refreshes executive committee Sanofi Sanofi unveiled a slate of changes to its executive committee that will become effective Sept. 1 as the French drugmaker prepares to unlock its “next strategic chapter.” The executive team is to be made up of leaders across several areas and functions, including R&D, manufacturing, vaccines and specialty care divisions, to name a few. The new names on the executive committee include Jamie Haney, who takes over as general counsel as Roy Papatheodorou hits the exit in favor of “external opportunities” after spending four years with the company. EVP of general medicines Oliver Charmeil, who has been on the executive committee since 2011 and recently came off a stint as interim CEO earlier this year, is pivoting to a new role as strategic projects advisor to CEO Belén Garijo. His previous position will be taken up by Thomas Grenier, who currently heads up vaccines, North America. Meanwhile, as the company reshapes its organizational approach, current head of business operations Madeline Roach will instead become president and country lead of Sanofi Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Her current responsibilities, which include “optimizing enterprise business services,” will be integrated into the finance function under finance EVP François Roger, which will also take on some other new business areas including global partnering. Story > Migraine-focused Mentari Therapeutics appointed Alkermes-acquired Avadel Pharmaceuticals CEO Greg Divis as its new head honcho. Release. > Germany’s Allogenetics is bringing Jeroen Rovers, M.D., Ph.D., onboard to replace founder Rainer Blasczyk as CMO to advance an ex vivo treatment for lung transplantation graft rejection. Release. > Altesa BioSciences aims to continue the momentum of a recent $75 million series B round and launch of a phase 2b clinical trial by appointing Brett Haumann as CEO. Release. > San Francisco-based Revagenix has promoted scientist Peter Smith, Ph.D., to the CSO spot as its potentially first-in-class inhalable therapy, Rev-56, enters the clinic. Release. > After 13 years with Eli Lilly, head of commercial strategy for blockbuster GLP-1 drug Zepbound, Silvia Luque is switching over to obesity biotech Zealand Pharma, where she’ll serve as head of U.S. marketing. LinkedIn > Neurocrine Biosciences’ Samir Siddhanti, who has been with the company since 2017, snagged a seat on the executive management committee with a promotion to chief business officer. Release > With Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., stepping down as president and CEO of Ascidian Therapeutics to join Formation Bio, Ascidian’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer Daniel Rosan will assume the role of president as the board conducts its CEO succession process. Release > After just 10 months in the role, Lisa Bollinger, M.D., resigned as chief medical officer of lysosomal storage disorder biotech Polaryx Therapeutics. The company said her departure will not impact clinical timelines and that it has begun the search for her replacement. Filing > As Flagship’s Tessera Therapeutics moves its first in vivo gene editor into the clinic, the biotech is saying goodbye to CEO Michael Severino, who is replaced by Joseph Romanelli. Release > Prominent ophthalmologist Mandeep Sagoo, Ph.D., is reinvigorating development of ReBio Pharma’s uveal melanoma candidate as chief medical officer. Release > Teresa Nunes, M.D., is looking to advance gene therapies for epilepsy as the new chief medical officer at the aptly named EpilepsyGTx. Release > Swiss oncology outfit Veraxa Biotech has named Christoph Erkel, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer to take over for the departing Rick Austin, Ph.D.. Release Chutes and Ladders Formation Bio Verdiva Bio Sanofi Zealand Pharma Neurocrine Biosciences Ascidian Therapeutics Tessera Therapeutics Biotech