NEA Welcomes Carol Gallagher as Partner

MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA), a global venture capital firm, today announced that Carol Gallagher, Pharm. D., has joined the firm as a Partner in its Menlo Park office. Dr. Gallagher, who brings to NEA more than 25 years of experience in drug development, commercialization and strategic leadership, will invest in biopharma opportunities across a range of therapeutic areas and stages of development.

"We are delighted to welcome Carol to the team," said David Mott, General Partner and head of NEA's Healthcare Practice. "Many of us have had the pleasure of working with Carol over the years, witnessing first-hand the passion, business acumen and drug development and commercial expertise that she brings to each endeavor—and we're thrilled she'll now be applying those strengths as a member of NEA's investing practice. Her proven track record as an operator and entrepreneur, coupled with her extensive network across the healthcare industry, will also make her a highly valued resource to our portfolio."

In addition to her role at NEA, Dr. Gallagher is the Chairman of Atara Biotherapeutics and AnaptysBio and a Director of Atterocor. Until recently, she served as the Chairman of eFFECTOR Therapeutics, a Director at Aragon Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2013), and a Venture Partner with Frazier Healthcare. Dr. Gallagher was President and CEO of venture-backed Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, where she led the development of the company's novel PI3K inhibitor (recently approved by the FDA for multiple indications in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma) and successful acquisition by Gilead Sciences in 2011.  

"The 'business of science' has always been deeply compelling to me—it's been a driving force throughout my career and I am very excited to continue that journey with NEA," said Dr. Gallagher. "Having worked closely with numerous partners at the firm over the years, it's clear that NEA's success in healthcare is fueled by a very similar mindset—the team has an extraordinary enthusiasm for the sector and is deeply committed to transforming healthcare and improving patients' lives."

Prior to joining Calistoga, Dr. Gallagher served as President and CEO of Metastatix. Earlier in her career, she held a variety of senior management and commercial roles at CancerVax, Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec, Pfizer, Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Amgen and Eli Lilly. She attended Vanderbilt University and received Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky

About NEA
NEA is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With more than $13 billion in committed capital, the firm invests in information technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. NEA's long track record of successful investing includes more than 195 portfolio company IPOs and more than 320 acquisitions. For additional information, visit www.nea.com.

SOURCE New Enterprise Associates, Inc.