CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Be Biopharma (“Be Bio”), whose mission is to pioneer the emerging new class of engineered B cells as medicines, today announced that Mitchell Chan, MBA, has joined as Chief Financial Officer & Head of Corporate Strategy. He joins a rapidly growing team of scientists, drug developers, and business leaders whose track records have led to the creation and development of some of the industry’s most impactful gene and cell therapies.
“Mitch’s expertise in managing financial and capital strategies and his deep experience in our industry across a variety of operating environments are a strong addition to our leadership team here at Be Bio,” said Joanne Smith-Farrell, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Be Bio. “I’m excited to welcome Mitch to Be Bio, as he shares our passion for patients, people, and innovative science. His experience building biotech companies from early stages through IPO to commercialization will be instrumental as we scale the company to deliver on the promise of this incredible B cell therapy platform.”
Prior to joining Be Bio, Mitchell served as Chief Financial Officer at Viela Bio and was instrumental in supporting the company through capital raises with leading global healthcare investors. He successfully raised over $750 million including a 2019 U.S. IPO. In 2021, he also led a merger agreement whereby Viela Bio was acquired by Horizon Therapeutics for $3.1 billion. Prior to Viela Bio, Mitchell served as the Director of Investor Relations for AstraZeneca, North America. He also held several roles of increasing responsibility at Genentech-Roche including in BioOncology Commercial Finance, R&D Finance, and Mergers & Acquisitions. Mitchell is the recipient of Executive Certifications from Stanford University, University of California (Haas), University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), and earned his BSc in Biochemistry, MSc in Medical Biophysics and MBA (Rotman School of Management) from the University of Toronto and was the recipient of the CFO Award from the Washington Business Journal in 2019.
“I am delighted to join Be Bio’s leadership team and contribute to our future success as the company progresses this leading B cell therapy platform with great potential across multiple disease areas and programs,” said Mitchell Chan, Chief Financial Officer & Head of Corporate Strategy at Be Bio. “Be Bio has rapidly established an industry-leading team making it an exciting time for the company.”
About Be Biopharma
Be Biopharma is a leader in developing B cells as medicines, treating disease with the human body’s native protein factories. We precisely engineer B cells to harness their intrinsic drug-like properties – remarkable protein production, selective tissue targeting, and fine control of their cellular environment – to forge a new category of cell therapy. These medicines are designed to be durable, allogeneic, re-dosable, and administered without toxic conditioning, creating new avenues to halt or reverse severe diseases like cancer, autoimmune conditions, and enzyme deficiency. Founded by Longwood Fund and B cell engineering pioneers David Rawlings, M.D., and Richard James, Ph.D., Be Biopharma is re-imagining medicine based on the power of B cell therapy. Be Bio was founded in October 2020 by Longwood Fund with a $52 million Series A investment led by Atlas Ventures and RA Capital, joined by Alta Partners and Takeda Ventures. For more information, please visit Be Biopharma.
