Leadership

Dr. Armen is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Antigenics Inc., the biotechnology company he co-founded with Pramod Srivastava in 1994. From mid-2002 through 2004, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors for the biopharmaceutical company Elan Corporation, plc. Dr. Armen also serves on the Board of Protagenic Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focusing on human brain hormones for the treatment of mood disorders. He is the founder and President of the Children of Armenia Fund, a charitable organization established in 2000 that is dedicated to the positive development of the children and youth of Armenia.

Brian Corvese is president and founder of Vencor Capital, a private equity firm with telecommunications and technology investments in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Prior to Vencor, Mr. Corvese worked on investments in the US and global equity markets as a managing director and partner at Soros Fund Management, the largest hedge fund in the world at the time. From 1988 to 1996, Mr. Corvese was a partner at Chancellor Capital Management, a $25-billion money management firm. While at Chancellor, Mr. Corvese was a portfolio manager with responsibility for investments made in basic industries, restructurings and special situations, corporate governance investments, as well as founded and managed his own hedge fund. From 1981 to 1988, Mr. Corvese was with Drexel Burnham Lambert as an equity analyst following the chemical and specialty chemical industries and participated in a significant number of merger and acquisition activities. While at Drexel, Mr. Corvese was a member of the top chemical and specialty chemical research team, as ranked by Institutional Investor. Mr. Corvese currently serves on the board of the National Telecommunications Company, based in Cairo, Egypt.

Mr. Corvese earned degrees in finance and political science from The University of Rhode Island and attended New York University Graduate School.

Mr. Dechaene is a consultant to various TMT (telecom, media and technology) and lifesciences companies. Since 2007, Mr. Dechaene serves on the board of Transics N.V., a company listed on NYSE Euronext and which develops and markets fleet management solutions for the transport and logistics sector. Mr. Dechaene was a director of Telindus NV, listed on Euronext, from 2005 until its acquisition by Belgacom in 2006. Since 2006 Mr. Dechaene has been a director of the Telindus Foundation in the Netherlands. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Dechaene was the Chief Financial Officer of SurfCast Inc., a software development company. He was with Deutsche Bank from 1991 through 1999, most recently as a director in the principal investments group within the equity capital markets division. Mr. Dechaene holds a law degree from the Central Exam Commission, Belgium, a masters degree in applied economics from the University of Antwerp, and an MBA from INSEAD, France.

John N. Hatsopoulos is chief executive officer of American DG Energy Inc. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, American DG Energy is the leading on-site utility offering electricity, heat, hot water and cooling to commercial, institutional and industrial facilities. Mr. Hatsopoulos is also chief executive officer of Tecogen Inc., a leading manufacturer of natural gas, engine-driven commercial and industrial cooling and cogeneration systems. In addition, Mr. Hatsopoulos is chairman of GlenRose Instruments Inc., a company that provides radiological and environmental services, as well as managing partner of Alexandros Partners LLC, a financial advisory firm.

John Hatsopoulos is one of the founders of Thermo Electron Corp. (currently Thermo Fisher Scientific) and the retired president and vice chairman of the board of directors. Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leading provider of analytical and monitoring instruments used in a broad range of applications, from life sciences research to telecommunications, food, drug and beverage production.

Mr. Hatsopoulos joined Thermo Electron as purchasing agent in 1956; in 1963 he became president of the company’s metals division, and was named vice president in 1970. Seven years later, he was appointed vice president of corporate strategy, handling acquisitions, financial and investor relations, and corporate investments.

Mr. Hatsopoulos became senior vice president of Thermo Electron in 1984, and executive vice president of the company in 1986. In 1988, he was appointed chief financial officer and executive vice president of Thermo Electron, and was named president in 1997. Also in 1997, he was elected to the board of directors of Thermo Electron. He served as vice president and chief financial officer for Thermo Electron and all of its public subsidiaries from 1988 until 1998. John Hatsopoulos innovated and implemented numerous financial strategies that became the focus of worldwide interest. His spinout strategy resulted in 24 public companies and Thermo Electron and its subsidiaries were able to raise close to $5 billion of capital.

Mr. Hatsopoulos graduated from Athens College in Athens, Greece, in 1953. He holds a BS in history and mathematics from Northeastern University, together with honorary doctorates in business administration from Boston College and Northeastern University. He served on the board of directors of the American Stock Exchange from 1994 through 2000 and the AMEX Nominating Committee from 1990 to 1994. He is currently a member of the board of directors of TEI BioSciences Inc., Antigenics Inc. and AmericanCare Source Holdings Inc., and a “Member of the Corporation” for Northeastern University.

Wadih Jordan has been a director since March 2003. Mr. Jordan is president of NearEast Pharma, a company marketing pharmaceuticals in Near East markets, and has served in such position since 1996. From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Jordan served as a vice president of Cyanamid International, a research-based life sciences company, and from 1976 to 1993 Mr. Jordan served as a managing director within Cyanamid International. Since December 2005, Mr. Jordan has served as a member of the board of directors at Pollex SAL, a company that specializes in the distribution and marketing of BASF products in the Middle East and North Africa. Since December 2003, Mr. Jordan has been a trustee of the board of directors of the Lebanese American University, located in Beirut, Lebanon, and incorporated under the Board of Regents in New York State. Mr. Jordan received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and a certificate in international business from Columbia University.

Hyam I. Levitsky, MD, is professor of oncology, medicine & urology at The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Levitsky’s laboratory research has focused on basic studies of antigen processing and presentation, T-cell co-stimulation, T-cell priming versus tolerance, and the evolution of tumor-specific immunity during immune reconstitution. Dr. Levitsky’s work has been translated into the creation of novel therapeutic agents that are being tested in patients with multiple myeloma, acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia, B cell lymphomas, prostate cancer and lung cancer. His work on manipulating immune reconstitution has led to pivotal trials of tumor vaccines in the context of autologous stem cell transplantation, and he has served as scientific director of the George Santos Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Levitsky has received numerous awards for his research, including the Stohlman Scholars Award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation of America, The Senior Research Award from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Research Awards from the CapCURE foundation, The American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health. In 2001, he was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Dr. Levitsky received his undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980, and his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1984. He did his internship and residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and his fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center.

Tim Rothwell recently retired as chairman of sanofi-aventis U.S., having spent 37 years in the pharmaceutical industry, including many years spent in leadership positions with major pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Rothwell joined Sanofi-Synthelabo in 2003 as US president and chief executive officer. In 2004, he was instrumental in the formation and leadership of sanofi-aventis U.S., an affiliate of the sanofi-aventis Group, where he served from 2004 to 2009 as president, chief executive officer and chairman. Prior to sanofi-aventis U.S. and Sanofi-Synthelabo, Mr. Rothwell served in various capacities at Pharmacia, including executive vice president and president for Pharmacia's global prescription business and executive vice president of Pharmacia Corporation. From 1972 to 1995, he held senior management positions with leading pharmaceutical companies, including Sandoz, Squibb and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer.

Mr. Rothwell holds a bachelor of arts from Drew University in New Jersey and a law degree from Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

Timothy R. Wright is President of the Imaging Solutions and Pharmaceutical Products Sector of Covidien. Covidien is a global leader in medical devices and supplies, diagnostic imaging agents, pharmaceuticals and other healthcare products. Mr. Wright brings to Antigenics' board 24 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in general management, product development and commercialization as well as business restructuring and transaction experience.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Wright was chief operating officer of Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, a privately held pharmaceutical company focused on pain management and women's health, where he created and executed transition plans to build infrastructure in development, regulatory affairs and operations. Previously, he was president and interim CEO of AAI Pharma, a hybrid pharmaceutical, drug delivery/manufacturing, and global clinical research organization. Mr. Wright has also held senior management positions at Elan Bio-Pharmaceuticals, Cardinal Health Inc. and Dupont Merck Pharmaceutical Company. Mr. Wright has served on several boards of directors, including those for AAI Pharma and CeNes Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Wright earned his bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University.

Dr. Armen is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Antigenics Inc., the biotechnology company he co-founded with Pramod Srivastava in 1994. From mid-2002 through 2004, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors for the biopharmaceutical company Elan Corporation, plc. Dr. Armen also serves on the Board of Protagenic Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focusing on human brain hormones for the treatment of mood disorders. He is the founder and President of the Children of Armenia Fund, a charitable organization established in 2000 that is dedicated to the positive development of the children and youth of Armenia.

Lori serves as our acting head of quality systems and regulatory affairs. Lori joined Antigenics in 2000 with the acquisition of Aquilla as Director of Quality Assurance. She assumed additional responsibility for quality control in 2005 and was appointed Senior Director of Quality Systems. Lori left Antigenics in 2006 to the Biologics Consulting Group and has continued her affiliation with us throughout the years. Lori was appointed Acting Head of Quality and Regulatory Affairs in 2010. Lori holds a B.S. in Psychology from Fitchburg State College.

John leads our human resources, facilities, information technology and corporate communications functions and serves on our Executive Operating and Business Development Committees. John joined Antigenics in 2003 as Vice President Human Resources. He assumed additional responsibility for facilities in 2005, information technology in 2006 and corporate communications in 2009. Prior to joining Antigenics, John was Vice President of Human Resources for Perkin Elmer Global Life Sciences. In addition, he spent nine years at Bristol-Myers Squibb in a series of progressively responsible roles in corporate staff and worldwide medicines. John has extensive experience in leadership development and human resource planning, organization development, Mergers and acquisitions, compensation design and sales force effectiveness. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, and an M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.

Leah is responsible for leading our biostatics, clinical programming and data management functions. In addition, she coordinates our Oncophage commercial activities in Russia. Leah joined Antigenics in 2004 as Associate Director, statistical programming and was promoted to Director, Biostatistics and Data Management in 2006 and her current position in 2010. Prior to joining Antigenics Leah held various technical and management positions in statistical programming and biostatistics with Abt Associates, Parexel and AAI Development. Leah holds an M.S. in computer and information systems from the Moscow Institute of Technology and is working toward completion of her PhD in biostatistics at Boston University

Christine is responsible for the general accounting and corporate treasury functions and serves on our Executive operating Committee. Christine joined Antigenics in 1996 as Finance Manager and has held various positions within the finance department. Prior to Antigenics, she was at Arthur Andersen from 1987, most recently as an audit manager. Ms. Klaskin received her Bachelor of Accountancy from The George Washington University.

Dan is responsible for managing our business development activities and overseeing our intellectual property portfolio and serves on our Executive Operating and Business Development Committees. Dan joined Antigenics in 1997 as scientific affairs manager. He has held various technical and management positions in research and development over the last several years and was promoted to his current position in 2007. Dan joined Antigenics directly on completion of his PhD in Tumor Immunology from Fordham University where he studied in the laboratory of cancer immunology headed by Pramod Srivastava, Antigenics scientific founder.

Steve Leads our manufacturing and process and analytical technology functions and serves on our Executive Operating Committee. Since joining Antigenics as a Scientist in 2001, Steve has held several positions of increasing responsibility. He has played a key role in supporting the clinical development of Antigenics lead immunotherapeutic Oncophage, defining the strategies for its manufacture, characterization, and release. In his current role as Vice President of Manufacturing, Process & Analytical Technologies, Steve oversees the manufacture of Antigenics' clinical products, aligned external contract manufacturing and the transfer of technology from research into development. Prior to joining Antigenics, he was with Genetics Institute (now Wyeth) from 1998 - 2001. Steve received his B.Sc., with first class honors, from the University of Queensland and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Melbourne. Following his Ph.D, Steve completed a Howard Hughes fellowship at Brandeis University.

Cristina is responsible for preclinical development and translational medicine and serves on our Executive Operating Committee. In addition, she is responsible for medical monitoring in support of our clinical programs. Cristina joined Antigenics in 2002 as a senior scientist in immunology and pharmacology. She began assuming broader management responsibilities in 2004 and was promoted to her current position in 2009. Prior to joining Antigenics Cristina held various research positions at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Rockefeller University. Cristina holds an MD and PhD from University of Genoa Medical School with a specialty in clinical pharmacology

Dr. Marcel Rozencweig is recognized as a world leading expert in anti-cancer drug development. He built and led the clinical research group at Bristol-Myers Squibb (“BMS”) that developed all the NCEs brought by BMS to the market from 1983 to 2001 in the area of cancer (including carboplatin and paclitaxel). Under his leadership, a total of 17 marketing applications (NDAs or sNDAs1) were successfully filed by BMS in the area of cancer, HIV and infectious diseases. From 2001-2007 Dr. Rozencweig served as Senior Vice President Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer for GPC Biotech. Dr. Rozencweig is currently an independent consultant to the biotech industry. In addition to his role as acting Chief Medical officer to Antigenics, he serves in a part time capacity as Senior Executive Vice President Clincial Affairs for Sopherion Therapeutics and Senior Vice President Clinical and Regulatory Strategies for Innate Pharma.

Dr. Rozencweig holds a Medical degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, in Belgium.

Shalini leads our finance, corporate development and investor relations functions and serves on our Executive Operating and Business Development Committees. Shalini joined Antigenics in 2003 as Director of Strategic Planning. She was promoted to Senior Director, Strategic planning and corporate development in 2005 and Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in 2006. Prior to joining Antigenics, Shalini was Director of Strategic Planning at Elan Corporation, plc, where she served as chief of staff to the chairman of the board during the restructuring process and drove to completion a number of strategic corporate and financial transactions. Shalini was previously a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, specializing in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. She holds a BA and MBA from Harvard University.

Karen leads our legal and corporate compliance functions and serves on our Executive Operating Committee. Karen joined Antigenics in 2004 as a Senior Attorney, was promoted to Associate General Counsel and Vice President in 2006 and General Counsel in 2008.  Prior to joining Antigenics, Karen was an associate in the biotechnology practice of Palmer & Dodge LLP (now Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge LLP). While at the law firm, she provided corporate law services to a broad range of both public and private corporations, and developed an expertise in the areas of licensing and strategic collaborations. Prior to entering the legal profession Karen was an underwriter for Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Karen holds a B.S. in neuroscience from Colgate University, and received her law degree from Boston University School of Law. Ms. Valentine has been recognized as a "Rising Star Super Lawyer" by Boston Magazine.

Kerry leads our clinical, regulatory, quality and translational medicines functions and serves on our Executive Operating and Business Development Committees.  Kerry joined Antigenics in 2004, was promoted to Vice President Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Operations in 2006 and appointed Vice President Clinical, Regulatory and Quality in 2009. Prior to joining Antigenics, Kerry served as Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at Genelabs Technologies, where she was responsible for the business’ regulatory and quality functions. Prior to Genelabs, Kerry held various positions in regulatory affairs at Shaman Pharmaceuticals and at Genzyme Corporation. Kerry has considerable expertise in the development, global licensing and post-marketing activities associated with drug and biological products. She holds a BS in pre-veterinary medicine from the University of New Hampshire.