Geron appoints John F. McDonald to board of directors

Geron Corporation, a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of John F. McDonald as an independent member of its Board of Directors, effective September 7, 2022.

“With his three decades in the biopharmaceutical industry across business development and investment and corporate strategy, John is a highly respected and seasoned R&D executive with valuable pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience. We enthusiastically welcome him to the Board,” said John A. Scarlett, M.D., Geron’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe John’s expertise will add commercial and strategic perspectives in guiding our objectives to advance imetelstat towards potential registration and commercialization.”

“I am delighted to join Geron’s Board at this exciting time, as the company nears top-line results in lower risk MDS in early January 2023,” said John F. McDonald. “In my career, I have seen a variety of ways that companies can strategically evolve their businesses, and I look forward to contributing to Geron’s future growth and success as the company brings the potential for disease modification with imetelstat to patients with hematologic malignancies.”

Currently, McDonald serves as Corporate Vice President, Global R&D Business Development, for Novo Nordisk A/S, where he leads R&D business development activities and investment strategies, as well as participates in the creation of research, early development, and therapeutic pipeline diversification and augmentation strategies. From 2011 to 2018, McDonald was Vice President, Business Development, at Biogen Inc., where he led business development and negotiated numerous strategic alliances, licenses and acquisitions. From 2006 to 2011, McDonald served as Managing Director at MPM Capital LP, where he served as the primary business development and asset strategy resource for multiple portfolio companies. Prior to 2006, McDonald held business development, corporate strategy, and legal roles of increasing responsibility at various biopharmaceutical companies, including Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (now a Takeda Oncology Company), Genzyme Corp (now part of Sanofi) and Genentech, Inc. (now a member of the Roche Group). McDonald holds a J.D. from University of California Hastings College of the Law and an M.B.A. and B.S. from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Business Wire