BOSTON — Ziopharm Oncology, Inc., a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing next-generation cell and gene therapies, has appointed Satyavrat “Sath” Shukla, CFA, as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.
He will direct all financial planning, analysis and reporting, treasury and tax functions, and will take on a key leadership role in the company’s capital strategy development and investor relations activities.
Mr. Shukla joins with 20 years of strategic corporate and financial leadership experience. He was most recently Vice President and global Head of Corporate Finance for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for leading financial and strategic initiatives during a period of significant growth for Vertex, including an increase in market capitalization from less than $10 billion when he joined to over $40 billion in 2019. He directed financial planning, analysis and budgeting, and led the annual long-range planning process encompassing Vertex’s entire portfolio and operations across more than 30 countries.
“We are very pleased to welcome Sath to Ziopharm’s senior leadership team and value his expertise in directing strategic financial analysis and developing plans to facilitate corporate growth,” said Laurence Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Ziopharm. “His financial experience is a strong complement to our management team, and his collaborative spirit will provide excellent leadership as we plan for future development and commercialization.”
Prior to Vertex, Mr. Shukla was a Principal at Cornerstone Research, an economic and financial analysis firm, where he led large, multi-disciplinary teams providing consulting services spanning financial modeling, assessment of product lines and businesses, and evaluation of operating and financial strategy and performance for life science clients ranging from start-ups to multi-billion-dollar corporations. Prior to Cornerstone, he worked for finance consulting firms LECG and Putnam, Hayes & Bartlett, both in Cambridge, Mass.
“Ziopharm has made compelling and meaningful strides as they established corporate independence and positioned the company’s innovative portfolio programs for generation of key clinical data readouts,” said Mr. Shukla. “I’m delighted to join the team at such an important time in its history and am excited by the growth prospects for Ziopharm.”
Mr. Shukla earned a BA in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Yale University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
