Chief Business Officer
Stephen joined Fontera Therapeutics in March 2022 as Chief Business Officer. He has over 20 years of biotech operating and deal-making experiences, having been in various C-level roles and completed over 60 business development, M&A, and financing transactions.
Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer at Innovent Biologics (HKEX: 1801), where he led the execution of a portfolio of immune-oncology Phase 1/2 clinical trials in the US, as well as being head of global business development strategy. Prior to Innovent, from 2013-2019, he was Founder & CEO of BioClin (aka Rainier) Therapeutics, Inc., an orphan disease and oncology private biotech company. He in-licensed a drug from Genentech, raised $79M in venture financing from top-tier US and European healthcare investors, built a team who filed a pre-IND in Achondroplasia, and ultimately completed a number of Phase 2 clinical studies in metastatic bladder cancer in over 100 clinical sites worldwide. Prior to BioClin, from 2008-2012, he was Vice President of Corporate & Business Development at Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ANTH). Prior to Anthera, from 2003-2008, he was at Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN), where he was responsible for managing and negotiating-in and out-licensing transactions. Prior to Amgen, from 2001-2003, he was a key member of the healthcare investment banking group at Canaccord Genuity (aka Adams, Harkness & Hill), where he helped biopharmaceutical and medical device companies raise over $2 billion in public and private financings, and executed M&A transactions.
Earlier in his career, he was a management consultant for Strategic Decisions Group, Deloitte Consulting and Hay Management Consulting, where he advised Fortune 500 healthcare and technology companies on strategic and portfolio management issues. He also managed late-stage HIV clinical trials at University of California Davis Medical Center and conducted immunology research.
Stephen received his B.A. in Microbiology and M.S. in Immunology from the University of California Davis, and a Master's in Health Care Management from Harvard University.
