BOSTON– PureTech Health plc (Nasdaq: PRTC, LSE: PRTC) (“PureTech” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company dedicated to changing the lives of patients with devastating diseases, today announces that Raju Kucherlapati, PhD, has been appointed Chair of the Board of Directors, effective immediately, following his role as interim Chair since June 2023.
“On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Raju as the Chair on a permanent basis,” said Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD, Chief Executive Officer of PureTech. “Raju’s exceptional leadership and strategic vision have been instrumental to PureTech’s innovation and success, particularly over the last year while he served as interim Chair. The Board has carefully considered Raju’s skills, knowledge and expertise, as well as his long-term involvement in the evolution of PureTech and his exemplary leadership during his tenure as interim Chair. The Board determined that Raju’s skills and in-depth knowledge of PureTech will be valuable over the coming years as PureTech continues to grow and evolve. Raju continues to exercise objective judgement and promote constructive challenge in the Board’s decision-making process. I look forward to continuing to work together and benefitting from Raju’s wise counsel as PureTech enters an exciting period of growth, with multiple catalysts that can deliver value to patients and shareholders.”
Dr. Kucherlapati commented: “It has been an honor to serve as interim Chair of PureTech at such an exciting time for the business. The Company successfully delivered against its milestones in 2023 and remains dedicated to identifying and developing medicines with the potential to transform lives. I look forward to continuing in my role as Chair and leveraging my expertise, alongside the rest of the Board, to guide the Company going forward.”
Dr. Kucherlapati has served as a member of PureTech’s Board of Directors since 2014. He is currently Chair of the Board’s Nomination Committee and sits on the Audit and Remuneration Committees. Dr. Kucherlapati will continue his current Board committee responsibilities until a replacement is identified at an appropriate time. The Company is actively engaged in a search to expand its independent Board membership and has had several promising conversations. An update will be provided in due course.
Dr. Kucherlapati is the Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and currently serves on the Board of Directors of KEW Inc. He was a founder and formerly a board member of Abgenix (acquired by Amgen for $2.2 billion), Cell Genesys and Millennium Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Takeda for $8.8 billion). He was the first scientific director of the Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Kucherlapati received his PhD from the University of Illinois. He trained at Yale and has held faculty positions at Princeton University, University of Illinois College of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was a member of the presidential commission for the study of bioethical issues during the Obama administration.
