Inovio expands executive team
Inovio has appointed two experienced senior executives to lead the company’s growth in the Asia market and to advance the clinical development of its DNA vaccine INO-4800 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gene Kim joins the company as president of Inovio Asia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Inovio based in Seoul, Korea. Kim served as chief financial officer of several publicly traded Korean companies listed on the KOSDAQ exchange and successfully led a company through the initial public offering process to the Korean exchange. Kim reports to Dr. J. Joseph Kim, Inovio’s CEO.
Mammen (Anza) Mammen, M.D., FACP, FIDSA, joins Inovio as senior VP, clinical development. The former U.S. military vaccine and pandemic expert will oversee the clinical development of INO-4800,. Dr. Mammen reports to Dr. Laurent Humeau, Inovio’s chief science officer.
According to Dr. J. Joseph Kim, “These two leaders bring the precise expertise that will further advance Inovio as a leader in developing and commercializing DNA medicines and vaccines. Gene Kim has financial and M&A experience in Asia that will enhance our growth across the Asian market and, specifically, will lead Inovio’s corporate development functions in South Korea and other Asian countries. Dr. Mammen’s product development experience and military infectious disease background will be invaluable as we move INO-4800 into late-stage efficacy trials and licensure. He also brings a strong biotechnology company track record to support Inovio’s commercial portfolio of vaccines.”
Gene Kim, who holds an MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania, was formerly chief financial officer of VGX Pharmaceuticals and helped to lead its merger with Inovio Biomedical in 2009 to form Inovio Pharmaceuticals. He most recently served as chief financial officer of the Korean high-tech companies AfreecaTV Co. Ltd. and WeMade Entertainment Co. Ltd., both listed on KOSDAQ. He also held positions of increasing responsibility at Yodlee and Deutsche Bank.
Dr. Mammen served as the chief of the Pandemic Warning Team for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) at Fort Detrick, Md., where his interagency team monitored for early indicators of global pandemics. He managed vaccine programs for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick and served as chief, Department of Virology at the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Bangkok, Thailand, and served as an infectious disease officer at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in Silver Spring, Md. Dr. Mammen retired from the U.S. Army with a rank of Colonel and was awarded the Legion of Merit medal for exceptional service. Most recently, Dr. Mammen led clinical development at Vical Inc., a San Diego-based DNA vaccine developer. Dr. Mammen earned his bachelor’s degree from Williams College and his medical degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine; he completed his clinical training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He is board-certified in infectious diseases and is a fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and of the American College of Physicians (ACP).
