Kazia Appoints James Levine as CFO After Structuring $568M and $780M Partnerships
KZIA•Kazia Therapeutics appointed James Levine as CFO effective June 1, 2026, leveraging his 20+ years in biotech finance and executive leadership. Levine structured a $568 million licensing deal with Mundipharma and a $780 million global partnership with Janssen and will guide funding for paxalisib’s trials and pipeline.
1. CFO Appointment and Expertise
Kazia Therapeutics named James Levine Chief Financial Officer effective June 1, 2026. With over two decades in investment banking and biotech, Levine has held senior finance roles at Cardiff Oncology, Cidara Therapeutics and served 12 years as a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs advising on major pharma deals.
2. Strategic Partnerships Leadership
At Cidara Therapeutics, Levine led the financial structuring of a $568 million licensing collaboration with Mundipharma and a $780 million global partnership with Janssen, and as CEO of Verenium executed asset sales totaling approximately $200 million, underscoring his deal-making acumen.
3. Pipeline Funding and Financial Strategy
In his new role, Levine will oversee Kazia’s financial strategy to secure capital for pivotal registrational studies of paxalisib in glioblastoma and other indications, while supporting ongoing trials in breast cancer, brain metastases and diffuse midline gliomas.
4. Outlook for Kazia’s Financial Position
Levine’s appointment aligns with Kazia’s planning for key clinical and strategic milestones, positioning the company to manage funding requirements for its lead asset paxalisib and advance preclinical programs EVT801, NDL2 and MSETC toward value-enhancing outcomes.
