CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AOBiome today announced three appointments to its senior management team to advance the company’s business to develop first-in-class skin health products based on Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB). Joining the company are: Ramesh Ratan, Chief Financial Officer (CFO); Todd Krueger, Chief Business Officer (CBO); and Jim Hoffman, Head of Marketing.
“Ramesh, Todd, and Jim each bring decades of experience in leadership positions and outstanding track records in building and growing entrepreneurial biomedical and technology organizations,” said Spiros Jamas, ScD, CEO of AOBiome. “Our expanded management team positions us for our next stage of growth as we prepare to begin clinical trials with our first AOB-based therapeutic, for the treatment of acne, and accelerate the commercialization of our cosmetic business.”
Mr. Ratan has more than 35 years of experience in senior or executive vice president finance and operations positions at companies developing innovative biomedical technologies, including Xcellerex, Inc., Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Repligen Corp., and at technology companies such as American Superconductor Corporation, and Equinox Solutions, Inc. He continues to serve as CFO and Corporate Secretary at ABOVE Solutions Inc. He has been instrumental in raising over $150 million and negotiating numerous corporate alliances. He also held finance positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Mr. Krueger has 20-years of experience in healthcare strategy, business development, operations and finance. He most recently led commercial efforts for the genomics platform at the Broad Institute. Previously, Mr. Krueger held senior positions at Claritas Genomics and Life Technologies. He has also been involved in the founding of several biotech startups, including Gynesonics, Nodality, Anestis Therapeutics and in 1999 he co-founded Fluidigm Corporation (NASDAQ:FLDM), serving as CFO and Vice President of Business Development. He serves on the board of directors of GALT, a microbiome tools startup. He started his career as a consultant for Bain and Company in Boston. Mr. Krueger graduated Highest Distinction from Northwestern University with a degree in Economics and earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
Mr. Hoffman joins AOBiome after a more than 35-year career as an entrepreneur leading companies to success in technology and marketing. He is a recognized expert industry source on issues affecting interactive marketing, web trends and standards. Mr. Hoffman has founded more than ten companies, including Section 101, which creates new revenue streams for major artists and brands by maximizing the value of their existing fans and by growing the customer base using a deep understanding of the target customer profile. He is also a founder of Bigfoot.com (sold in 2000), an email provider and web directory, and several spin outs: Bigfoot Interactive (sold in 2001), an e-mail direct marketing company and NeoPlanet (sold in 2005), a graphical web browser. He has also served President and CEO of Journal Graphics, Inc., the nation’s largest broadcast transcript company.
About AOBiome
AOBiome LLC is developing a transformative, new class of products based on Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) to improve skin health and prevent or treat skin and inflammatory diseases. The company’s probiotics are designed to provide cosmetic and therapeutic benefits by restoring the natural, protective balance afforded by beneficial skin microbes that have been lost due to modern living practices, including antibiotic use, soaps, and shampoos. AOB are ubiquitous bacteria that use oxidize ammonia and urea, two components in sweat, to produce nitrite, an anti-microbial compound, and nitric oxide, an important signaling molecule that helps the body manage skin and systemic functions. AOBiome is developing cosmetics and a pipeline of patented skin therapeutics to treat acne, rosacea and other inflammatory skin diseases.
The company was established in 2013 by its scientific founder, David Whitlock; biotech entrepreneur James Heywood, Co-founder of PatientsLikeMe and Founder of the ALS Therapy Development Institute; Lenny Barshack, a serial entrepreneur of technology companies; and Dr. Jamas. Learn more at www.AOBiome.com
