Karuna Therapeutics Appoints Laurie Olson to Board of Directors

Karuna Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRTX), an innovative clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing novel therapies with the potential to transform the lives of people with disabling and potentially fatal neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced the appointment of Laurie Olson to its Board of Directors effective August 12, 2020. Ms. Olson will be part of the nominating and corporate governance committee.

“We are pleased to welcome Laurie to our board at an exciting moment for Karuna as we continue to advance our pipeline and begin the transition to a late-stage biotech company,” said Steve Paul, M.D., chief executive officer, president and chairman of Karuna Therapeutics. “Laurie’s expertise in commercial and corporate strategy, with a keen focus on identifying and optimizing synergies between R&D and commercial organizations, experience in growing a culture of engaged teams, and advocacy for workplace diversity and inclusion, will be invaluable as we navigate our next phases of growth.”

“Karuna is making tremendous progress in advancing potential new treatments for some of the most serious and complex neuropsychiatric disorders,” said Ms. Olson. “I join Karuna at an important inflection point for the company, and look forward to working with management and the board to help grow the organization and capabilities with the goal of delivering meaningful treatment options to patients.”

Ms. Olson is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 30 years of commercial and corporate strategy experience, most recently serving as the Executive Vice President, Strategy and Commercial Operations at Pfizer Inc. until 2018. In this role, Ms. Olson led a global organization accountable for corporate strategic planning, portfolio management, and commercial support functions. Ms. Olson served as a member of Pfizer’s Portfolio Strategy and Investment Committee as well as the Pfizer Board of Directors’ Science and Technology Committee, where she was accountable for informing therapeutic area strategies and the utilization of new technologies and analytic methods to drive R&D and commercial productivity. She also was a member of the Business Development, Disclosure, Diversity, and Compliance Committees where she supported Pfizer’s commitment to maintaining its transparency and compliance with internal and external stakeholders. Prior to her role as Executive Vice President, Ms. Olson held various positions of increasing authority during her tenure at Pfizer from 1987 to 2018. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. Ms. Olson received a B.A. in Economics from State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Hofstra University.