Viridian Therapeutics Appoints Kristian Humer as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer
July 26 2021 - 7:30AM
Viridian Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRDN), a biopharmaceutical
company advancing new treatments for patients suffering from
serious diseases but underserved by today’s therapies, today
announced the appointment of Kristian Humer as its new Chief
Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer.
“Kristian brings extensive global finance experience as our new
CFO and CBO. His appointment builds upon the tremendously talented
team of executives we’ve already assembled in recent months, as we
advance our pipeline of investigational therapies to address
serious diseases with significant unmet medical needs," commented
Jonathan Violin, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of
Viridian.
"I am excited to join the Viridian team as we position the
Company to rapidly advance our pipeline, beginning with our Thyroid
Eye Disease programs targeting IGF1-R. I look forward to supporting
the growth and evolution of the company as we advance our mission
of creating novel medicines for patients’ unmet needs," said
Humer.
Mr. Humer spent 20 years on Wall Street, including 14 years as a
life science-focused investment banker. He brings significant
experience in capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, and
partnering to Viridian. Most recently, he served as Managing
Director of Banking, Capital Markets & Advisory for the Global
Healthcare team at Citigroup, Inc. In this role, he helped lead the
firm’s investment banking advisory engagements for small- and
mid-sized biopharma and select large cap pharmaceutical companies.
He previously served in a number of roles at Citigroup, Inc. as
part of their Global Healthcare team. Prior to joining Citigroup,
Inc., Mr. Humer served as Vice President of the Investment Banking
Division for the Global Healthcare team at Lehman Brothers, Inc.
Mr. Humer started his career serving positions of increasing
responsibility in the investment banking and private banking
divisions of UBS AG and Merrill Lynch (a Bank of America company).
He received an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke
University, and a B.A. (Hons) in Accounting & Economics from
the University of Reading, United Kingdom.
Notice of Issuance of Inducement Grant
Pursuant to his employment agreement, Mr. Humer will be awarded
an option to purchase 360,000 shares of the Company’s common stock
(the “Inducement Grant”). The Inducement Grant will be issued
outside of the Company’s Amended and Restated 2016 Equity Incentive
Plan (the “Plan”) but will remain subject to the terms and
conditions of such Plan. The Inducement Grant will be granted as an
inducement material to such individual’s entrance into employment
with Viridian in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). A
majority of the independent directors serving on the Company’s
Board of Directors approved the Inducement Grant.
The Inducement Grant will have an exercise price equal to the
closing price of Viridian’s common stock on July 26, 2021, the date
of grant. The Inducement Grant will vest over a four-year period,
with 25% of the shares vesting on the one-year anniversary of the
date of grant, and thereafter the remainder of the shares vest in
36 equal monthly installments, subject to Mr. Humer’s continued
employment through the applicable vesting dates.
About Viridian Therapeutics
Viridian Therapeutics is a biotechnology company advancing new
treatments for patients suffering from serious diseases but
underserved by today’s therapies. Viridian’s most advanced program,
VRDN-001, is an anti-IGF-1R monoclonal antibody in development for
TED, a debilitating auto-immune disease that causes inflammation
and fibrosis within the orbit of the eye which can cause double
vision, pain, and potential blindness. Patients with severe disease
often require multiple remedial surgeries to the orbit, eye
muscles, and eyelids. Viridian is based in Boulder, Colorado, and
Waltham, Massachusetts. Learn more about Viridian and its programs
at https://www.viridiantherapeutics.com/.
Follow us on Twitter @ViridianThera and on LinkedIn.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis
press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These statements may be identified by the use of words such as, but
not limited to, “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,”
“potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” or
“would” or other similar terms or expressions that concern the
Company’s expectations, strategies, plans and intentions.
Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements
regarding the Company’s expectations and guidance regarding its
business plans and objectives for its product candidates and
pipeline. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts
nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on
our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the
future of our business, future plans and strategies, our clinical
results and other future conditions. New risks and uncertainties
may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all
risks and uncertainties. No representations or warranties
(expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such
forward-looking statements. We may not actually achieve the
forecasts disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you
should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of material
risks and uncertainties including but not limited to: uncertainty
and potential delays related to clinical drug development; the
duration and impact of regulatory delays in our clinical programs;
manufacturing risks; competition from other therapies or products;
other matters that could affect the sufficiency of existing cash,
cash equivalents and short-term investments to fund operations; the
company’s future operating results and financial performance; the
timing of pre-clinical and clinical trial activities and reporting
results from same; the effects from the COVID-19 pandemic on the
company’s research, development and business activities and
operating results; and those risks set forth under the caption
“Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 26, 2021
and other subsequent disclosure documents filed with the SEC. Any
forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it
was made. Neither we, nor our affiliates, advisors or
representatives, undertake any obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as
representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date
hereof.
Viridian
Contacts:Investors:Dan FerryLifeSci
Advisors617-430-7576IR@viridiantherapeutics.com
Media:Darby PearsonVerge Scientific
Communications703-587-0831PR@viridiantherapeutics.com
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