Leadership
We are led by an experienced leadership team with a proven track record in the biopharmaceutical industry. Collectively, our leadership team has contributed to drug discovery and development as well as approval, launch and commercialization of multiple specialty medicines.
Lynne Powell
Chief Executive Officer
Katalin Ferenczi
General Manager, Europe
Dr. Andreas Maetzel
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Roger Ilagan
Vice President of Research
Dr. Prabo Wijetunge
Vice President Pharmaceutical Development
Dr. Wijetunge brings over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry from early development to approval. He joined Tavanta from Oyster Point Pharma where he was the Senior Director of CMC. With his extensive experience in nasal spray and inhalation drug delivery, Dr. Wijetunge was responsible for the development and approval of Tyrvaya® nasal spray for the treatment of dry eye disease. Prior to that he was the Senior Director of CMC and Analytical Development at Eagle Pharmaceuticals where he contributed to the approval of Pemfexy® (Pemetrexed Injection), an oncology treatment drug while solving many analytical and manufacturing CMC issues. He started his career at Battle Memorial Institute where he contributed to the successful submission of a new Anthrax vaccine. He also held positions with increasing responsibility at Mannkind Corporation, MicroDose Therapeutx and Novel Laboratories. Dr. Wijetunge received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry with honors from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.
Dr. Elizabeth Manning Duus
Vice President of Clinical Development
Dr. Suzanne Thornton-Jones
Vice President, Head of Regulatory Affairs
Dr. Thornton-Jones brings nearly 25 years of increasing leadership in Regulatory Affairs spanning all phases of drug development and multiple modalities including small molecules, biotherapeutics, and gene therapies. Prior to joining Tavanta she served as Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at Affinia Therpeutics supporting development of gene therapies for rare neurodegenerative diseases and neuro-oncology and previously served as Executive Director, Regulatory Affairs and Compliance at the University of Pennsylvania, Gene Therapy Program supporting development of multiple gene therapy candidates in rare and orphan diseases. Dr. Thornton-Jones held a number of Global Regulatory positions at AbbVie and Sanofi with increasing responsibility and broad regulatory focus. Prior to joining industry, she was a non-clinical pharmacology/toxicology reviewer at the FDA/CDER. Dr Thornton-Jones holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology and a MS and BS in Biology from Virginia Commonwealth University.