Barry Quart, Pharm.D.
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
John Poyhonen
President and Chief Commercial Officer
Kimberly Manhard
Executive Vice President, Drug Development and Director
David Szekeres
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
Thomas Ottoboni, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President, Pharmaceutical and Translational Sciences
Chris Storgard, M.D
Chief Medical Officer
Michael Mathews
Senior Vice President, Acute Care
John Arthur, Ph.D.
Vice President, Manufacturing & Supply
Sean Ristine
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Lisa Peraza
Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer
Laura Singer
Vice President of Quality Assurance
Robert Sullivan
Senior Vice President, Oncology Care Franchise and Commercial Operations
Barry Quart, Pharm.D.
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Barry Quart, Pharm.D. has served as a director of Heron since 2012. Dr. Quart was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2013, President and Chief Executive Officer in 2019 and was named Chairman of the Board in October 2020. He has more than 25 years of experience serving in leadership positions in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and developing innovative pharmaceutical products. In 2006, Dr. Quart co-founded Ardea Biosciences, Inc. and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer from its inception through 2013, and as a director through its acquisition by AstraZeneca PLC in 2012. Previously, he was with Pfizer Inc. as Senior Vice President of Pfizer Global Research and Development, and the director of Pfizer’s La Jolla Laboratories. Prior to Pfizer’s acquisition of the Warner-Lambert Company, Dr. Quart was President of Research and Development at Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a division of the Warner-Lambert Company. He joined Agouron in 1993 and was instrumental in the development and registration of Viracept® (nelfinavir). Dr. Quart also served as a director of Synageva Biopharma Corp. from 2012 through its acquisition by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2015. Since 2015, he has served as a director of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Quart received a Pharm.D. degree from the University of California, San Francisco. The Board has concluded that Dr. Quart should serve as a director and Chairman based on his experience in senior management, as a director and with other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and his prior drug development experience.
John Poyhonen
President and Chief Commercial Officer
John Poyhonen was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer in 2019 and was promoted to President and Chief Commercial Officer in October 2020. He served as a director of Heron from January 2014 until August 2020. He has more than 25 years of experience serving in leadership positions in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and commercializing innovative products. From 2014 through its acquisition by Firmenich, Inc. in November 2018, Mr. Poyhonen was the President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Senomyx, Inc. He joined Senomyx, Inc. in 2003 as Vice President and Chief Business Officer; was promoted in 2004 to Vice President and Chief Financial and Business Officer; was named Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Business Officer in 2006; was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer in 2009; and promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer in 2014. From 1996 to 2003, Mr. Poyhonen served in various sales and marketing positions for Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., most recently as Vice President of National Sales. Prior to holding this position, he served as Vice President of Marketing and Vice President of National Accounts. Mr. Poyhonen was previously a director of Ardea Biosciences, Inc. from 2007 through its acquisition by AstraZeneca PLC in 2012. He received a B.A. degree in marketing from Michigan State University and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Kansas.
Kimberly Manhard
Executive Vice President, Drug Development and Director
Kimberly Manhard has served as a director of Heron since 2019 and as our Executive Vice President, Drug Development since 2016, after serving as a director in 2014 and 2015. Ms. Manhard has more than 25 years of experience in drug development, regulatory affairs and pharmaceutical operations. From 2008 to 2016, she served as the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Development Operations at Ardea Biosciences, Inc. In her role at Ardea, Ms. Manhard was instrumental in the development and 2015 regulatory approval of Zurampic® (lesinurad). Prior to joining Ardea in 2006, she was President of her own consultancy firm, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Exelixis, Inc. and held multiple regulatory positions at Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a division of the Warner-Lambert Company, supporting development and commercialization of anticancer and antiviral products, including Viracept® (nelfinavir). Ms. Manhard was also previously with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in regulatory affairs, responsible for oncology compounds, including Taxol® (paclitaxel) and infectious disease compounds, including Videx® (didanosine) and Zerit® (stavudine). She began her career in clinical research with Eli Lilly and Company and G.H. Besselaar Associates (Covance Inc.). Since 2020, Ms. Manhard has also served as a director of InhibRx, Inc., which is focused on the research and development of new treatments for cancer. Ms. Manhard is a member of the board of trustees for the Fleet Science Center. She received a B.S. degree in zoology and a B.A. degree in French from the University of Florida. The Board has concluded that Ms. Manhard should serve as a director based on her experience in senior management, as a director with other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and her experience in drug development, regulatory affairs and pharmaceutical operations.
David Szekeres
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
David Szekeres joined Heron as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Business Development and Corporate Secretary in 2016. Mr. Szekeres was promoted to Chief Legal, Business and Administrative Officer in 2019 and was promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer in October 2020. Mr. Szekeres has more than 20 years of legal and financial experience, primarily in the biotechnology industry. From 2014 to 2015, he served as General Counsel, Chief Business Officer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer and Corporate Secretary at Regulus Therapeutics Inc. In that role, Mr. Szekeres oversaw the company’s business, financial and legal responsibilities as it developed into a clinical-stage corporation. From 2008 through its acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. in 2014, he served as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions, Governance and Securities and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Life Technologies Corporation. From 2001 to 2006, Mr. Szekeres served as Corporate Attorney at a number of law firms, including O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP. Prior to 2001, he served as Senior Associate in Investment Banking at Robertson Stephens. Mr. Szekeres is a member of the board of trustees for the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Institute. He received a B.A. degree from the University of California, Irvine and a J.D. degree from Duke University School of Law.
Thomas Ottoboni, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President, Pharmaceutical and Translational Sciences
Thomas Ottoboni, Ph.D. joined Heron as Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development in 2012. Dr. Ottoboni was promoted to Senior Vice President of Pharmaceutical and Preclinical Research and Development in 2014 and promoted to Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Pharmaceutical and Translational Sciences in 2019. He has more than 20 years of drug development experience. From 2010 until 2011, Dr. Ottoboni was Vice President of Research and Development at Talima Therapeutics, Inc., where he worked on the development of a drug delivery implant to treat onychomycosis. From 1996 to 2008, he served as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations at POINT Biomedical Corp., where he developed several imaging and drug delivery systems. From 1994 through 1996, Dr. Ottoboni served as Manager of Systems Development and Drug Delivery Research for InSite Vision Inc., where he developed ophthalmic pharmaceutical delivery systems. He previously served as Director of Drug Delivery at Vitaphore Corp. Dr. Ottoboni is an inventor on more than 20 U.S. patents in organic and macromolecular chemistry. He received a B.S. degree in chemistry and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Chris Storgard, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Chris Storgard, M.D. joined Heron as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development in 2018 and was promoted to Chief Medical Officer in 2019. Dr. Storgard has more than 25 years of experience in clinical research. From 2016 to 2018, he served as Chief Medical Officer at Fate Therapeutics. From 2013 to 2016, Dr. Storgard served as Vice President of Clinical Research and Development at Ardea Biosciences, Inc., leading the ZURAMPIC® global clinical program to successful U.S. and European regulatory approvals. He also held various senior leadership positions at Biogen-Idec Ltd. and Amgen Inc., leading biologic and small molecule development programs within inflammation and oncology. From 2001 to 2004, Dr. Storgard served as Senior Associate Consultant, Division of Rheumatology, and Assistant Professor and Member of the Molecular Medicine Program at the Mayo School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He received his B.S. degree in biology and his M.D. from the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Storgard completed a fellowship in rheumatology at Scripps Clinic and Research Center, San Diego.
Michael Mathews
Senior Vice President, Acute Care
Michael Mathews joined Heron as Senior Vice President of the Acute Care Franchise in 2017. Mr. Mathews has more than 25 years of life sciences experience in sales and marketing. From 2015 to 2017, he served as the Vice President for Acute Care at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Mathews served as Senior Vice President International at KCI, an Acelity L.P. Inc. company. He also held various leadership positions at Bayer AG, including Senior Vice President North America for Diabetes Care and Head of Hematology for the Specialty Medicine Division. He also led the sales and marketing efforts of Bayer Aspirin, both in the U.S. and globally. Mr. Mathews was a member of Bayer AG’s Global Leadership Circle, which consisted of the top 250 executives globally. He completed Stanford University’s graduate school executive program. He also holds an MBA from Thunderbird American School of International Management in international marketing, and a B.S. in international economics, finance and commerce from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
John Arthur, Ph.D
Vice President, Manufacturing & Supply
John Arthur, Ph.D. joined Heron as Vice President of Manufacturing and Supply in 2017. Dr. Arthur has more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing. From 2013 to 2016, he was Vice President of Manufacturing and CMC at Mast Therapeutics, Inc., where he led all CMC activities for multiple Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical programs. From 2012 to 2013, Dr. Arthur was Senior Director of Manufacturing at Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to his role at Auspex, he held several positions of increasing responsibility at various biopharmaceutical companies, including Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Kanisa Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Salmedix, Inc., Prometheus Laboratories Inc., Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Arthur received a B.S. in Biochemistry from Western Washington University, a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of South Carolina, Columbia and conducted his postdoctoral research at Michigan State University.
Sean Ristine
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Sean Ristine joined Heron as Senior Director of Human Resources in 2014 and was promoted to Vice President of Human Resources in 2015 and to Senior Vice President in 2021. Mr. Ristine has more than 20 years of experience in human resources and business leadership. From 2009 to 2014, he held key Human Resources positions at Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Inc., most recently serving as Senior Director of Human Resources where he was instrumental in growing Cadence to a commercial-stage company with more than 200 employees located throughout the U.S. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Ristine held Human Resources management roles of increasing responsibility at Kyocera Wireless Corp., including Director of Human Resources and Facilities. From 1995 to 2004, he held positions at Kyocera America, Inc., including Manager of Human Resources. Mr. Ristine received a B.S. degree in Business and Organization Behavior from Brigham Young University and an M.B.A. degree with an emphasis in Human Resource Management from San Diego State University.
Lisa Peraza
Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer
Lisa Peraza joined Heron as Senior Director, Controller in 2014. Ms. Peraza was promoted to Vice President, Controller in 2019 and promoted to Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer in October 2020. She has more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience, primarily in the biotechnology industry. From June 2008 to March 2014, Ms. Peraza held key finance and accounting positions at Ardea Biosciences, Inc., most recently serving as Executive Director, Controller. From June 2001 to May 2008, she held key accounting positions at La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company. Ms. Peraza began her career with KPMG LLP. She received a B.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is licensed as a C.P.A. in the State of California.
Laura Singer
Vice President of Quality Assurance
Laura Singer joined Heron as Vice President of Quality Assurance in 2019 and has responsibility for global Quality & Compliance. She has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries including rare disease and orphan drugs, specialty pharmaceuticals, medical devices and combination products. Ms. Singer was previously Vice President, Global Quality at Amicus Therapeutics, Inc. where she was responsible for Quality Assurance/Quality Control operations and systems and Global Quality strategy for small molecule and biologics programs. Previously, Ms. Singer held key Quality positions at both NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (prior to its acquisition by Shire plc) and Meda Pharmaceuticals Inc., and contract manufacturing and operations roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and DuPont Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Singer received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from St. Johns University, Flushing, New York.
Robert Sullivan
Senior Vice President, Oncology Care Franchise and Commercial Operations
Robert Sullivan joined Heron as Senior Director, Oncology Commercial Operations in 2017. He was promoted to Vice President, Contracting and Commercial Operations in 2020, then to Senior Vice President, Oncology Care Franchise and Commercial Operations in 2023. Mr. Sullivan has more than 20 years of experience serving in various leadership positions in Sales, Operations and Market Access with biotechnology companies and group purchasing organizations. From 2007 to 2017, Mr. Sullivan held various positions of increasing responsibility with the International Oncology Network (ION), a division of AmerisourceBergen. He received a B.S. degree in business administration, management from Towson University.
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