GSK’s Thirsk joins Bavarian Nordic as COO
Plus Baroldi, Bastings join Ionis, and updates from Exscientia, Second, ViaCyte, BioXcel and more
Russell Thirsk will join Bavarian Nordic A/S (CSE:BAVA; Pink:BVNRY) as EVP and COO on April 1. He succeeds Henrik Birk, who is stepping down after 13 years at the company to pursue a new opportunity. Thirsk was head of operations at the vaccine division of GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE:GSK; NYSE:GSK) in Belgium, having held leadership roles at Novartis AG (SIX:NOVN; NYSE:NVS) for over two decades.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) hired Joseph Baroldi as EVP and CBO and Eric Bastings as VP, development strategy. Baroldi is the former COO of Avidity Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:RNA) but is not new to Ionis, having joined the Carlsbad-based neurology and cardiometabolic company first in 2001 for a three-year stint as a research associate and again in 2009 for an 11-year run in positions of escalating responsibility including VP, business development and alliance management. Bastings joins Ionis after over 21 years with FDA, most recently as deputy director of the agency’s Office of Neuroscience. ...