Himalaya Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Nicholas Desjardins as Chief Financial Officer

SAN DIEGO, April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Himalaya Therapeutics ("Himalaya"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on development and commercialization in Greater China of a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics for the treatment of solid tumor cancer, which are based on the Conditionally Active Biologics ("CAB") technology platform, today announced the appointment of Nicholas Desjardins as chief financial officer and corporate development officer. In his roles, he will lead Himalaya's finance and accounting functions, as well as spearhead investor relations and corporate communications. He will work closely with the operations and strategy teams on strategic and licensing collaborations.

"Nick brings Himalaya a unique mix of both U.S. and China experience in finance, operations and biotechnology that we think will be a critical addition to the Himalaya team," said Carolyn Short, co-founder and president of Himalaya Therapeutics since its founding in 2014. "Nick is the first new executive of a series of hires we have planned to ramp up our development activities in Greater China and we are pleased to bring him on board as we look to engage with the global capital markets later this year."

Mr. Desjardins brings 15 years of investment banking experience to his role, primarily in biotech, including helping companies raise more than $1.4 billion in 17 initial public offerings while at Cowen and Stifel and an additional $9.1 billion in nearly 50 other strategic transactions and capital raises. Most recently he led the advisory practice for ASGARD Partners, a boutique merchant bank. In addition, he spent ten years in Greater China in a variety of operational and financial roles, including as project manager at Beijing RELTEC (subsequently acquired by Marconi) and in the tax department at PriceWaterhouse, Beijing. Mr. Desjardins received his M.B.A in Finance from the Yale School of Management, his B.A. in History from Yale College and his B.S. in Accounting from SUNY Plattsburgh. He also received a scholarship for the study of Mandarin Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University.

"I am excited to be joining Himalaya at this important juncture in its trajectory as its lead product candidates move into Phase 2 clinical trials in Greater China, and to help it continue to achieve value-creating milestones for its shareholders. I look forward to being able to work with the team to bring such a groundbreaking technology to China to serve patients there who currently lack viable options for some of its most prevalent cancers." 

About Himalaya Therapeutics

Himalaya is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company with operations in San Diego, California, and Hong Kong, China. Himalaya is advancing its pipeline of novel monoclonal antibody and other protein therapeutic product candidates, which are designed to have more selective targeting, greater efficacy, and more cost-efficient and predictable manufacturing than traditional antibodies, through clinical trials. Its product candidates have been developed using CAB technology, which is protected by more than 500 issued and pending patents. Himalaya has two CAB programs currently in Phase 2 clinical testing in Hong Kong and Taiwan: BA3011, a novel conditionally active AXL-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (CAB-AXL-ADC), and BA3021, a novel conditionally active ROR2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (CAB-ROR2-ADC). Himalaya has a co-development and collaboration agreement for an investigational CAB CTLA-4 antibody, BA3071, with BeiGene Ltd. for its development, manufacturing and commercialization in Greater China.

Investor Contact
Nicholas Desjardins
Himalaya Therapeutics
[email protected]

SOURCE Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC