Senior leadership appointments at fintech and pharma startups

Jörg Bode, a financial expert with recognised leadership skills and a long career at renowned investment banks, is the new CEO of the Zurich-based provider of creates off-balance sheet securitisation platforms GenTwo. He initially made his career at Credit Suisse First Boston, Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers, where he held various positions in the areas of M&A, Global Products & Equity, and Derivates Sales. Most recently, he was responsible for the establishment and expansion of company office locations and operational sales activities. Bringing many years of management experience to the role, Bode has assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operations GenTwo. He will support the company in implementing its corporate strategy, increasing products and services' quality and boosting business development, both domestically and internationally. The previous CEO and Co-Founder Philippe A. Naegeli will take on the role of Chief Vision Officer, a position responsible for further developing the company’s brand, corporate vision, and culture. 

21Shares – Marco Infuso, managing director for business development
Zug-based Fintech startup 21Shares (formerly Amun) making investing in digital assets as easy as buying shares using your conventional broker or bank, has won Vontobel banker Marco Infuso as managing director for business development in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Infuso is currently with Vontobel, where he oversees business development and actively managed certificates in the Swiss and Liechtenstein markets. Before that, he was with Commerzbank in Switzerland and with Lombard Odier. 

Metaco - Andre Israel, COO
Andre Israel, the former managing director and head of Core Banking at Accenture and CEO of SOFGEN, the banking consultancy company has joined Metaco as COO. He will be responsible primarily for building metazoan into an unparalleled global customer delivery and support organisation. The 2015 founded startup offers security-critical infrastructure enabling financial institutions to enter the digital asset ecosystem.

FoRx therapeutics – Tarig Bashir, CEO
FoRx Therapeutics, a recently incorporated privately-held company developing a new generation of cancer drugs focusing on novel DNA Replication Stress pathways activated in cancer, appointed Tarig Bashir as CEO. Bashir is a Pharma and Biotech Executive with over 15 years of experience and leadership in cancer drug discovery, translational oncology and external innovation. He has led and overseen discovery-stage and preclinical oncology portfolios during his career, led strategic partnerships with pharma and academia, and contributed significantly to clinical compound development. Tarig held positions of increasing responsibility in Oncology R&D at Organon/Schering-Plough, Johnson & Johnson and Ipsen. He was recently Executive Vice President Discovery at Proteros, where his responsibilities included new company building. 

Quercis Pharma –various c-suite appointments
Quercis Pharma, the Zug based startup advancing a pipeline of late-stage clinical studies that focus on the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients and other diseases associated with thrombotic events, such as sickle cell disease (SCD), Ebola and COVID-19, has recently appointed several new executives to the Company's leadership team. John Boghossian, former Vice President of Operations at COMPASS Pathways, will join Quercis as Chief Executive Officer succeeding Ilias Läber, who will transition out of his operational role by the end of April 2021 and will remain in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Manon Veraart, former Vice President of Business Development at COMPASS Pathways, will join as Chief Business Officer. Besides, Thomas Pfeiffer, former Senior Researcher at University College London, will join as Director of Pipeline Projects.  Also, Lars Wilde, co-founder, President and Chief Business Officer of COMPASS Pathways and co-founder of atai Life Sciences, will join Quercis as an independent member of the Board of Directors.

The new appointees join the company as it nears late-stage clinical studies; two Phase 3 studies for preventing VTE in pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma patients; and several studies for treating SCD (Phase 2) and COVID-19 (Phase 2/3). 

NLS Pharmaceutics Ltd – Silvia Panigone, COO
The Swiss clinical-stage pharmaceutical company NLS Pharmaceuticals focused on discovering and developing innovative therapies for rare and complex central nervous system disorders, appointed Silvia Panigone as Chief Operating Officer. Panigone brings to NLS over 25 years of leadership experience in the healthcare industry, founding and operating ADYA Consulting, a boutique advisory firm that provides strategic counselling, access to capital, and M&A advisory services to companies in the life sciences sector, and serving in operational and managerial roles in international pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organisations. Her wealth of experience will be vital for NLS as the company pursues the development of Quilience® to treat narcolepsy and establish our strategy for business development and advancement of our drug pipeline.