HAYWARD, Calif.– Eikon Therapeutics, Inc., a pioneering biotechnology company that leverages advanced engineering to enhance drug discovery and development, today announced that Michael A. Klobuchar has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. He joins Eikon from Merck & Co. Inc. where he most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer.
In his new role, Mr. Klobuchar will oversee Eikon’s corporate infrastructure, including global supply chain management and product manufacturing, and he will play a key role as a member of the company’s Executive Committee. In addition to leading Eikon’s enterprise efforts, he will manage key executives across Eikon Systems, IT, facilities, and business operations to ensure strategic alignment and operational execution as the company enters its next phase of growth.
“Mike is an outstanding leader whose expertise spans research, manufacturing, finance, and business strategy,” said Roger M. Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and Board Chair of Eikon Therapeutics. “His deep experience in navigating complex industrial strategies and his proven track record of operational excellence make him the ideal person to lead Eikon’s infrastructure development as we scale our efforts to bring transformative discovery technologies to scientists and innovative new therapies to patients. I am pleased to welcome Mike to the Eikon team.”
A chemical engineer by training, Mr. Klobuchar joined Merck in 1998 as a synthetic process development engineer supporting new pipeline candidates within Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) and rapidly rose through the organization to hold senior leadership roles across manufacturing, R&D, finance, and corporate strategy. Most recently, as Merck’s Chief Strategy Officer, he oversaw business development, global technology, digital transformation, operations, and risk mitigation, reporting directly to the CEO. Prior to this role, Mr. Klobuchar was Senior Vice President, CFO, and Head of Portfolio and Alliance Management for MRL and led the Global Portfolio and Alliance Management group within that organization. He currently serves on the board of Revvity, an 11,000-employee provider of diagnostics and life sciences tools, instruments, and software. Mr. Klobuchar holds an M.B.A. from Villanova University, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in chemical engineering from Rutgers University and Purdue University, respectively.
“Eikon’s pioneering approach to measuring the dynamic behavior of individual protein molecules in living cells at a massive scale is transforming both scientific discovery and therapeutic innovation,” said Mr. Klobuchar. “I am honored to join this exceptional team and look forward to building the operational foundation that will propel the company’s growth and advance the development of cutting-edge discovery tools and groundbreaking therapies that deliver meaningful progress for patients and the scientific community alike.”
