Rinri Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing a cell-based therapy to restore hearing, announced the appointment of Nick Higgins as Chairman of the Board. He takes over from Dr Erica Whittaker who has served as Chair since the creation of Rinri Therapeutics.
Higgins’ career spans over 35 years in the life science industry during which he is said to have gained extensive knowledge of UK and US markets in both private and public sectors. Higgins was the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Intercytex Group plc, a company focused on the development and manufacturing of cell therapy products which was subsequently sold through a series of asset sales. He also served as Chief Business Officer at Acambis, a publicly traded UK company focused on novel vaccines and biologicals with significant operations in the US (subsequently sold to Sanofi), as well as Corporate Development Director of Consort Medical plc, a £500m (USD $682.7 million) market capitalization UK-listed company which has been acquired by Recipharm Group in 2020.
Higgins currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lizard BioConsulting (which he founded), Avvinity Therapeutics (Chairman), and Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (Deputy Chairman).
Dr Chandler, CEO of Rinri Therapeutics, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Nick as our new Chairman. Nick will provide valuable input and guidance to the development of Rinri, bringing his extensive international corporate development expertise which includes private and public fund raisings. In particular, his time as CEO of the cell therapy company Intercytex provides a clear parallel to Rinri, as we continue to develop our pioneering stem cell therapy to reverse sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) through the repair of the damaged cytoarchitecture in the inner ear.”
“I am delighted to be joining Rinri Therapeutics, a company at the forefront of innovation in the treatment of hearing loss, at a time when the regenerative medicine sector is growing so rapidly,” said Higgins. “ I have been impressed with both the quality of the science and the management team and look forward to helping realize the potential of this world leading technology to improve the lives of patients.”
Higgins joins Board Members Professor Marcelo Rivolta, Founder and Professor of sensory stem cell biology at The University of Sheffield; Dr Erica Whittaker, Head of UCB Ventures; Frank Kalkbrenner, Global Head of BIVF; Dr Claire Brown, Investor Director at BioCity; Ross McMaster, Finance Manager at SUEL (University of Sheffield’s Venture arm), and Non-Executive Director Dr Natalie Mount, CEO of Adaptate Biotherapeutics.
Source: Rinri Therapeutics
Images: Rinri Therapeutics
