Alessandro Riva, M.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Alessandro Riva, M.D., joined Ichnos Sciences in April 2019 to lead the company as Chief Executive Officer. He also sits on the company’s Board of Directors. An oncologist/hematologist by training, Alessandro is known for leading global research and development organizations in large pharmaceutical companies and for developing and registering multiple compounds in oncology spanning from cytotoxic agents to targeted therapies and cell therapies. Alessandro previously worked at Gilead Sciences as EVP and Global Head of Oncology Therapeutics and Cell Therapy, where he led the acquisition of Kite Pharma. Before Gilead, Alessandro was EVP and Global Head of Oncology Development and Medical Affairs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. He was President ad interim of Novartis Oncology during the acquisition of GSK Oncology. At the beginning of his career, he worked at Farmitalia Carlo Erba, Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, and Aventis. He also co-founded the Breast Cancer International Research Group (BCIRG), a global nonprofit cooperative group, and Cancer International Research Group (CIRG), a global clinical research organization where he served as CEO for three years. Alessandro is author and co-author of more than 100 papers and abstracts in the field of oncology. He received his bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Milan and a certificate board in oncology/hematology from the same institution.

Isabel Carmona

Chief Human Resources Officer

Isabel Carmona leads human resources at Ichnos Sciences. She joined Ichnos from Teva Pharmaceuticals, where she was a member of Teva’s Global Operations Human Resources leadership team. Isabel has developed her career across the USA and Europe, where she has held leadership positions in legal, compliance, operational excellence, and human resources in multiple industries – information technologies, financial services, and life sciences. Isabel earned her juris doctor degree with a specialty in business law from the Universidad de Sevilla.

Roberto Giovannini, Ph.D.

Head of CMC Development

Roberto Giovannini, Ph.D., is responsible for leading CMC development at Ichnos Sciences. Roberto has more than 20 years of combined pharmaceutical and academic experience in the biotech sector with a focus on process development, covering all aspects of process development and scale-up. Previously, Roberto held multiple positions at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and Boehringer Ingelheim, leading chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) development for early- to late-stage development programs. Earlier in his career as a scientist, Roberto was at Bayer HealthCare, where he was in charge of process development for new therapeutics. He has a Ph.D. in purification of proteins from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Geneva.

Cyril Konto, M.D. 

Chief Medical Officer 

Cyril Konto, M.D., joined Ichnos Sciences in April 2021 as the company’s first Chief Medical Officer. An oncologist by training, Cyril oversees oncology clinical sciences, clinical operations, regulatory sciences, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, biometrics, drug safety, and quality. He works closely with the discovery and antibody engineering organizations to select and set priorities for research targets. Previously, Cyril was vice president of clinical development at Allogene Therapeutics, a spinoff from Pfizer, where he pioneered development of allogeneic CAR T cell therapies. At Pfizer, he was executive director of early immuno-oncology clinical development. Earlier, he worked in medical affairs and clinical development at Bristol Myers Squibb, including as clinical lead of the YERVOY^® (ipilimumab) melanoma program. Cyril received his medical degree from University René Descartes in Paris and began practicing medicine at Pierre and Marie Curie University, where he held both clinical and academic positions.

Grace Maguire

Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs

Grace Maguire leads communications and corporate affairs at Ichnos Sciences. With more than 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience across several therapeutic categories, Grace’s responsibilities have included setting commercial strategy, product launch, brand communications, and lifecycle management. Prior to Ichnos Sciences, she worked at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals as Vice President of Commercial for Specialty and Innovative Products, and at Forest Laboratories, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and Warner-Lambert. She began her career as a sales representative for Zeneca Pharmaceuticals in the New York City area. She has a master’s degree in business administration from the Leonard Stern School of Business at New York University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from St. John’s University in New York.

M. Lamine Mbow, Ph.D.

Head of NBE, Discovery Research

M. Lamine Mbow, Ph.D., is responsible for the New Biologics Entity (NBE) unit at Ichnos Sciences. Prior to Ichnos Sciences, Lamine held several leadership positions in the U.S. at Boehringer Ingelheim, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF), and Novartis Vaccines and Centocor (Janssen), where he led and advanced several molecules to clinical development. Lamine has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor and co-inventor of several issued patents and patent applications. He holds a Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland and conducted his postdoctoral training at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Colorado State University, both in Fort Collins, CO.

Neelufar Mozaffarian, M.D., Ph.D.

Head of Clinical Sciences, Autoimmune Disease and Pain

Neelufar Mozaffarian, M.D., Ph.D., joined Glenmark Pharmaceuticals in 2019 to lead drug development in the therapeutic areas of autoimmune disease and pain, helping to shape the nascent company that would become Ichnos Sciences. Prior to joining Ichnos Sciences, Dr. Mozaffarian led immunology-based clinical development programs at Abbott/AbbVie, Eli Lilly & Co., and Gilead Sciences. She worked on both large and small molecules across all phases of development, from first-in-human to phase 4 post-marketing trials. She is a board-certified Rheumatologist-Immunologist with both clinical and molecular immunology expertise, having received her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NY, NY, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.

Michael D. Price

Chief Financial Officer

Michael Price serves as our Chief Financial Officer and has more than 25 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry experience. Prior to joining Ichnos, he held the position of Executive Vice President and CFO at Akcea Therapeutics, Inc., where he helped manage all aspects of the business and worked closely with the executive team and independent directors on the Ionis Pharmaceuticals takeover. Prior to Akcea, Michael served as CFO at Novelion Therapeutics, Noven Pharmaceuticals, and Bentley Pharmaceuticals. He is a CPA and began his career with Price Waterhouse, now PWC.

Michael received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Auburn University and his Master of Business Administration degree from Florida State University.

Kala Subramanian, Ph.D.

Chief of Staff, Head of Strategic Development and Business Development & Licensing

Kala Subramanian, Ph.D., oversees the development and implementation of Ichnos Sciences’ operating model and governance and leads the company’s strategic development and licensing efforts. Prior to joining Ichnos, she held senior-level and strategic positions at multiple companies, such as Kite/Gilead, CRISPR Therapeutics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. While at Kite Pharma, Kala defined oncology and cell therapy goals across the organization and led the development of the organization’s 10-year plan. Kala received her Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry from Cornell University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University.

Martin L. Wilson

General Counsel

Martin Wilson is an accomplished attorney with more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Martin joined Ichnos in January 2020 after serving as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Corporate Secretary and Head of Human Resources of Teligent, Inc. since 2017. Prior to joining Teligent, Martin served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Endo Pharmaceuticals following the acquisition of Par Pharmaceuticals by Endo. Martin was with Par for over 11 years prior to the acquisition by Endo and served in a number of roles, including as Par’s Chief Compliance Officer. Martin received his B.S. from Saint Joseph’s University and a Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law.