Business
Nkarta Announces Leadership Changes
Nadir Mahmood, Ph.D. Named to Expanded Role as Chief Financial and Business OfficerAlicia J. Hager, J.D., Ph.D. to Join as Chief Legal Officer SOUTH SAN
About this update from Nkarta, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Nadir Mahmood, Ph.D. Named to Expanded Role as Chief Financial and Business OfficerAlicia J. Hager, J.D., Ph.D. to Join as Chief Legal Officer\n SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nkarta, Inc. (Nasdaq: NKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered natural killer (NK) cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced that Nadir Mahmood, Ph.D., Chief Business Officer of Nkarta, is assuming the expanded role of Chief Financial and Business Officer effective immediately. He replaces Matthew Plunkett, Ph.D. who has stepped down as Chief Financial Officer to pursue other opportunities. In addition, Alicia J. Hager, J.D., Ph.D. is expected to join Nkarta as Chief Legal Officer later this month. “We are delighted to welcome Nadir to his newly expanded role at Nkarta,” said Paul J. Hastings, Chief Executive Officer of Nkarta. “Since joining the company in 2018, Nadir has played a direct role in shaping Nkarta’s strategy and operations, provided exceptional cross-functional leadership and demonstrated a deep understanding of the many facets of our business. These achievements, in addition to his experience in corporate development and equity research, make him particularly well suited for Nkarta at this stage in our growth. He will be supported by a seasoned finance organization as we look forward to his continued contributions.” Mahmood said, “I look forward to working with our investors, collaborators and the Nkarta team as we continue the important pursuit of advancing the next potential wave of transformative cell therapy that can bring new hope to cancer patients. Building on the strong foundation Matt helped to create, we remain focused on expanding platform innovation, advancing our manufacturing capabilities, and preparing for clinical trials of our potentially disruptive co-lead NK cell therapy candidates.” Hastings continued, “We would like to thank Matt for his many valuable contributions to Nkarta. His unique skill set of advanced scientific training and financial market experience helped us rapidly build our financial foundation and take Nkarta to where we are today. I know I speak for everyone at the company when I say we wish Matt well as he embarks on the next leg of his successful career.” Plunkett added, “I appreciate the opportunity from Paul and the Board to contribut...