Benzinga | Oct 26, 2021 04:37PM EDT

Harpoon Therapeutics President, CEO Jerry McMahon Resigns; Co Names Julie Eastland As President, CEO

Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HARP), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a novel class of T cell engagers, today announced that Julie Eastland has been named President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 8, 2021. Ms. Eastland will succeed Jerry McMahon, Ph.D., who has resigned from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the company's Board of Directors (the "Board"). Dr. McMahon has entered into a retirement and transition agreement with Harpoon and will serve as an advisor.

"I am excited to lead Harpoon Therapeutics as its next President and Chief Executive Officer and to champion the company's clinical programs targeting new breakthrough treatments for cancer," said Julie Eastland. "I look forward to working alongside the medical and scientific teams to advance Harpoon's novel immuno-oncology therapeutic modalities through the clinic and ultimately to commercialization, to make a difference in the lives of patients with cancer."

"On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to recognize Jerry McMahon for the important role he has played in the financings, business development and growth of Harpoon, and sincerely thank him for his commitment to the company and his leadership during a period where the Harpoon team brought four programs to the clinic and created three T cell platforms," stated Ron Hunt, member of the Harpoon Therapeutics Board. "We look forward to his counsel as an advisor to the company."

Ms. Eastland currently serves on the Harpoon Board and will continue in that role. In addition, Scott Myers, also a Board member, has been named Chair of the Harpoon Board.

"We are very pleased that Julie Eastland will lead the Harpoon Therapeutics team as we advance our clinical programs and seek to maximize opportunities for our TriTAC(r), ProTriTAC(tm), and TriTAC-XR T cell engager technology platforms," said Scott Myers, Chair of the Harpoon Therapeutics Board. "I am looking forward to my new role as Chair and having worked with Julie in the past at other biotech companies spanning early to late-stage development programs, I am confident that her leadership and operational expertise in clinical oncology, immunology, and other therapeutic categories is an excellent fit for Harpoon at this point in its development."

Julie Eastland joined the Harpoon Board in 2018 and her career spans more than 20 years of executive leadership in the biotechnology industry. Most recently she served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of ReCode Therapeutics, a private genetic medicines company developing therapeutics using its proprietary lipid nanoparticle delivery technology to target organs and tissues beyond the liver. Prior to ReCode, she served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Rainier Therapeutics, a private biopharmaceutical company focused in FGFR3 bladder cancer. Prior to Rainier, she served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Cascadian Therapeutics, a publicly traded oncology company that was acquired by Seattle Genetics in 2018. Prior to Cascadian, she held various financial and strategic management positions at public and private biotechnology companies including VLST Corporation, Dendreon and Amgen. Ms. Eastland received an MBA from Heriot-Watt University of the Edinburgh University in Scotland and a B.S. in finance from Colorado State University.