Zymeworks has appointed industry veteran Brian Cherry to its Board of Directors, bringing the total number of directors to nine and completing the reduction from twelve members over the past year. Mr. Cherry, with more than 25 years of private equity and growth equity experience and having led investments in companies exceeding $25 billion in enterprise value, adds deep expertise in capital allocation and strategic acquisitions. His previous roles include Managing Partner at Oak Hill Capital and board positions at public and private companies, the U.S. Air Force Academy Foundation, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Undergraduate Financial Aid Leadership Council. This appointment marks the fourth addition to the Board in twelve months, following Oleg Nodelman, Greg Ciongoli, and Robert E. Landry, underscoring Zymeworks’ emphasis on streamlining oversight in line with its evolving corporate strategy.

In line with the corporate strategy unveiled in November, Dr. Sabeen Mekan will assume the role of Chief Medical Officer on February 1, 2026, overseeing clinical development, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, and clinical operations. Concurrently, Mark Hollywood is promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, expanding his remit beyond technology, manufacturing operations, quality, and alliance management. Current CMO Dr. Jeff Smith will retire on January 31, 2026, transitioning to an advisory role during the handover. Leone Patterson (Chief Financial and Business Officer) and Daniel Dex (General Counsel) will depart in Q1 2026, prompting a comprehensive search for a permanent CFO, while Kenneth Galbraith steps in as Acting Chief Financial Officer to maintain financial leadership continuity.

Zymeworks has further bolstered its leadership bench by appointing five new Vice Presidents to support its next growth phase. These include Dr. Charles Chen in Translational Sciences, Shrinal Inamdar in Investor Relations, Diana Papove in Corporate Communications, Victoria Spencer in Treasury and Tax, and Lingxing Zheng in Regulatory Affairs. These additions complement recent Senior Vice President appointments—Laura O’Connor in Human Resources, Bijal Desai in Finance, and Lindsey Foulkes in Corporate Development and Strategy—reflecting the company’s commitment to internal talent cultivation and aligning specialized expertise with its strategic priorities for advancing its diversified biotherapeutics pipeline and licensed healthcare asset portfolio.