Our Leadership

Michael has more than two decades of experience as a senior executive in the biopharma and biotech industries. He joined Spur Therapeutics as President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2021 and was named Chief Executive Officer in August 2021. Previously, Michael was a senior executive at Vertex Pharmaceuticals for five years, held senior global roles during more than a decade with Pfizer, and practiced healthcare law at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld in Washington, DC. A member of the New York and District of Columbia bars, Michael received a Bachelor of Arts in American Government and Politics and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Pam has more than 20 years of biotech and pharma experience, leading and driving clinical, medical, and regulatory activities from trial design and execution through product approval, launch, and commercialization. She joined Spur Therapeutics in November 2021, having previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Auregen BioTherapeutics and Aegerion Pharmaceuticals and worked in hemophilia and neurology at Biogen and on lysosomal storage diseases at Genzyme. Pam received her Bachelor of Science and medical degrees from Georgetown University and trained in neurology at Stanford University.

Henning has more than 25 years of experience in scientific research and leadership. Prior to joining Spur Therapeutics in March 2022, he held leadership positions at Novo Nordisk, including shepherding new treatments for growth disorders and hemophilia through clinical development and regulatory approval. Henning received his Master of Science in biochemistry and a doctorate in protein chemistry from the University of Copenhagen and the Carlsberg Laboratory and conducted postdoctoral research at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. He holds a Master of Business degree from the Technical University of Denmark.

Paul brings more than 25 years of global financial, commercial, and operational experience in the life sciences industry. Prior to joining Spur Therapeutics in May 2022, he was Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations at Exo Therapeutics, Senior Vice President, Finance at Casebia Therapeutics, and has also held senior corporate finance positions at Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Systagenix Wound Management, Shire Human Genetics Therapies, and Transkaryotic Therapies. Paul began his professional career at Coopers and Lybrand. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Boston College and earned his Certified Public Accountant license in Massachusetts.

Nicole has more than 25 years of diverse industry experience in senior global Human Resources and talent management roles. Prior to joining Spur Therapeutics in July 2022, she was Head of Global Talent Management at Merck. She has also held senior leadership roles where she defined and delivered global talent strategies at Alexion, Fidelity Investments, and Raytheon. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Meredith College, a Bachelor of Science in Economics from NC State University, and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute.

Jay has more than three decades of pharma, biotech, and medical device leadership experience across a wide range of platforms, including adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy. He joined Spur Therapeutics in June 2021. Previously, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Abeona Therapeutics and held senior roles at Becton, Dickinson; GlaxoSmithKline; Amgen; and Tyco Healthcare. Jay received a Bachelor of Science from Marshall University and is Six Sigma certified.

Chip has more than 10 years of experience advising companies at various stages of growth. Before joining Spur Therapeutics, Chip was Counsel in the corporate department at WilmerHale, where he advised some of the world’s most innovative life sciences companies. Prior to that, he served as an associate at Cleary Gottlieb, providing legal support to a number of clients in the areas of corporate governance, public company reporting, and corporate transactions. Chip holds an A.B. in History from Princeton University and a law degree from New York University School of Law.

Chris has been the Chairman of our Board of Directors since December 2015 and served as our Executive Chairman from June 2019 to June 2020. He also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Syncona Investment Management Limited, part of Syncona Limited, a leading healthcare investment company. Chris has been instrumental in the foundation and development of Syncona’s gene therapy strategy and has overseen the growth of several gene therapy companies.

Previously, Chris was a partner of Apposite Capital LLP, a venture and growth capital healthcare investment company. Before Apposite, Chris had roles with Bioscience Managers Ltd, Neptune Investment Management Ltd, and in the pharmaceutical industry. Chris holds a degree in natural sciences and a PhD in organic chemistry, both from the University of Cambridge.

Michael has more than two decades of experience as a senior executive in the biopharma and biotech industries. He joined Spur Therapeutics as President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2021 and was named Chief Executive Officer in August 2021. Previously, Michael was a senior executive at Vertex Pharmaceuticals for five years, held senior global roles during more than a decade with Pfizer, and practiced healthcare law at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld in Washington, DC. A member of the New York and District of Columbia bars, Michael received a Bachelor of Arts in American Government and Politics and a law degree from Georgetown University.

John brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. He serves as Executive Partner of Syncona Investment Management Limited, a leading healthcare investment firm. He was Executive Chair of SwanBio Therapeutics prior to its acquisition by Spur Therapeutics in 2024. Previously, John was President, Global Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer at Novartis and Senior Vice President of Global Medical Affairs at Amgen. His medical career began at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, where he was an internal medicine physician and a member of the hospital’s faculty. He holds a medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science from Washington University.