Appointment of new directors bring diversity, balance and relevant industry expertise to Vaxxinity
Establishment of Frontier Exploration Laboratories (“VaxxLabs”) in Cape Canaveral, Fla., as corporate headquarters
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxxinity, Inc. (Nasdaq: VAXX), a U.S. company pioneering the development of a new class of immunotherapeutic vaccines, announced new appointments to the Board of Directors and the relocation of its corporate headquarters to Cape Canaveral, Fla.
“Today’s announcements reflect the strength of Vaxxinity’s science and people and further equip us to achieve key research and commercial milestones as we prepare to launch our first vaccine and advance clinical development of our pipeline candidates,” said Mei Mei Hu, Chief Executive Officer of Vaxxinity. “Our new Board members bring expertise in healthcare, strategic transactions and human resources that will be invaluable for Vaxxinity going forward. Additionally, we have established Frontier Exploration Laboratories (FEL) as our corporate headquarters alongside our state-of-the art research operations facility in Cape Canaveral. This step further supports the continued growth of our pipeline and company. We are grateful for those who helped bring us to this point and look forward to working with our new team members.”
Board of Director Appointments
Vaxxinity announced the expansion of its Board of Directors with four new appointments, which include executives with expertise in life sciences, finance, M&A, high growth ventures, compliance, and public company board service. These additions bring additional balance, diversity and relevant industry experience to the Board. James Chui and Greg Blatt have resigned, resulting in a nine-director Board.
The new Board members are:
- Katherine Eade, J.D., who has more than 20 years of experience advising public companies on M&A, corporate governance and capital markets, including a dozen years serving in leadership roles in the life sciences industry. She currently serves as an independent director on the board of directors of Harvard Bioscience, Inc., since 2017, and is a member of its Audit Committee and Chair of its Governance Committee. She began her career as an attorney at Cleary Gottlieb, a leading international law firm. Katherine will join Vaxxinity’s audit committee.
- Landon Ogilvie, who has more than 25 years of experience in logistics, risk management, operations management, and organizational leadership across diverse industries. He currently serves as CEO of Co-West Inc. and Destination Systems, the largest independently owned logistics company in Colorado serving Colorado Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Defense and many state municipalities. He began his career in the risk management sector where he was a partner with one of the oldest businesses in Texas, Gans and Smith Insurance. Landon will join Vaxxinity’s compensation committee.
- James Smith, who has more than 20 years of experience in financial and business development at various growth companies. James’ primary roles have revolved around governance, reporting, business development, sales, M&A and capital raising. He currently serves as CEO of InvitedHome and Board member of YourFare. He began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young. James will join Vaxxinity’s audit committee.
- Gaby Toledano, who has more than 30 years of experience as a Board member, advisor and operating executive. She is currently Chief Operating Officer at Keystone Strategy and serves on the Boards of Lilium and Velo3D where she chairs the Compensation Committees of both companies. Prior to that, she served as Chief People Officer at Tesla and Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Officer at Electronic Arts and Siebel Systems. Gaby will join as Vaxxinity’s compensation committee chair and member of the nomination and governance committee.
Corporate Headquarters Relocation
Vaxxinity is pleased to announce the relocation of its corporate headquarters to 505 Odyssey Way, Exploration Park, Florida. The site, which Vaxxinity refers to as Frontier Exploration Labs (FEL), or “VaxxLabs,” is strategically located to access top-tier talent and includes offices and state-of-the-art R&D facilities.
About Vaxxinity
Vaxxinity, Inc. is a purpose-driven biotechnology company committed to democratizing healthcare across the globe. The company is pioneering a new class of synthetic, peptide-based immunotherapeutic vaccines aimed at disrupting the existing treatment paradigm for chronic disease, increasingly dominated by monoclonal antibodies, which suffer from prohibitive costs and cumbersome administration. The company’s proprietary technology platform has enabled the innovation of novel pipeline candidates designed to bring the efficiency of vaccines to the treatment of chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, migraine, and hypercholesterolemia. The technology is also implemented as part of a COVID-19 vaccine program. Vaxxinity has optimized its pipeline to achieve a potentially historic, global impact on human health.
For more information about Vaxxinity, Inc., visit http://www.vaxxinity.com and follow us on social media @vaxxinity.
Forward-looking Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The use of certain words, including "potentially," and "will" and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and are based on the current expectations and assumptions of Vaxxinity’s management. Forward-looking statements include statements about the development of a new class of immunotherapeutic vaccines and the innovation and efficacy of Vaxxinity’s product candidates. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those that may be expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Additional important factors to be considered in connection with forward-looking statements are described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 24, 2022 and other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements are made as of this date and Vaxxinity does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Investor Contact
Mark Joinnides
ir@vaxxinity.com
Press Contact
Jon Yu
media@vaxxinity.com
