Nov. 16, 2009 (PR Newswire) --
SEATTLE, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRBN) announced today that Peter Thompson, M.D., FACP, President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Directors and co-founder of Trubion, has retired from the company to pursue other interests. Steven Gillis, Ph.D., former Lead Director of Trubion's Board of Directors, has been appointed Executive Chairman of the Board and Acting President. Dr. Thompson has entered into a consulting agreement with Trubion and will be available to advise the company on various matters. Trubion will initiate shortly a formal search for a new Chief Executive Officer.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090320/TRUBIONLOGO)
In addition to serving as Executive Chairman and Acting President, Dr. Gillis is a Managing Director with ARCH Venture Partners, where he participates in the evaluation of new life science technologies and the development and growth of ARCH's biotechnology portfolio companies.
Dr. Gillis was a founder and director of Corixa Corp. and served as the company's CEO from its inception and as its Chairman from 1999 until its acquisition in 2005 by GlaxoSmithKline plc. Before joining Corixa, Dr. Gillis was a founder and director of Immunex Corp. From 1981 until his departure in 1994, he served as Immunex's Director of Research and Development, as Chief Scientific Officer, and as CEO of Immunex's R&D subsidiary. Dr. Gillis was interim CEO of Immunex Corp. following its majority purchase by American Cyanamid Co. and remained a member of the board until 1997. Amgen Inc. acquired Immunex in 2002.
Additional Management Appointments
Trubion also announced today that Michelle Burris, Trubion's senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer focusing on external relations, partnerships and leading efforts on business transactions. As a result of Burris' promotion, John Bencich, Trubion's Senior Director of Finance and Accounting, has been promoted to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Scott Stromatt, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer; Ken Mohler, Ph.D., Co-founder and Senior Vice President of Research and Development; and Kate Deeley, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, will remain at Trubion in their current roles and constitute the rest of the executive management team.
Trubion's partnered and proprietary programs continue to progress as previously reported and the company's guidance as stated in its third-quarter financial results announced on Nov. 5, 2009, remains unchanged.
"The Trubion team has established an enviable track record of success," said Dr. Thompson.
