Transgene Further Strengthens Management Team with Appointment of James Wentworth as Chief Business Officer

Strasbourg, France, January 22, 2024, 5:45 p.m. CET – Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, is pleased to announce the appointment of James Wentworth, PhD, MBA, as Chief Business Officer (CBO) and member of the executive management team, effective immediately. Dr. Wentworth will be responsible for developing, leading, and implementing Transgene’s business, corporate development and partnering strategies. 

Alessandro Riva, MD, Chairman and CEO of Transgene, comments: “I am very pleased to welcome James, at a pivotal time for Transgene as we seek to develop novel cancer immunotherapies including an individualized neoantigen cancer vaccine. Our business development strategy will be crucial to achieving our goals, and James’ significant experience and knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to build our strong track record of successful collaborations.”

Dr. Wentworth brings over fifteen years’ experience working in the pharma and biotech industry. He joins Transgene following increasing responsibility spanning business development, strategy and commercial roles. Most recently, James was Director, Business Development and Strategy at Adaptimmune, a NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company focused on developing T-cell receptor (TCR)-based cell therapies for solid tumors. His responsibilities included strategic pharma partnering, collaborations and transactions, corporate development projects, commercial strategy development and he also led the company’s competitive intelligence function.

Prior to Adaptimmune, James worked with pre-commercial Biotech companies at inVentiv Health (now Syneos Health) and held strategic roles at Shire, contributing to product development, post M&A integration, and managing commercial launches in European markets for ViroPharma Europe.

James holds a BSc Hons degree in Pharmacology and a PhD in Pharmacology both from the University of Bristol and an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland.

Dr. James Wentworth, Chief Business Officer, said: “It is an honor to be joining Transgene at this exciting time and to work alongside the outstanding executive team to contribute to Transgene’s success. The company has achieved many important milestones over the past year, and I am excited to help deliver its growth strategy through further partnerships and collaborations. Transgene is uniquely positioned with its innovative technology and platform offering, and together with the promising emerging data for its portfolio of clinical-stage immunotherapies, has the potential to address major medical needs in the treatment of solid tumors and to transform patients’ lives.”