UNA trustee, industry veteran Whitaker named board chair at QurAlis

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — QurAlis recently announced the appointment of Anne Clem Whitaker as chair of its board of directors.

Whitaker replaces founding board member Johnathan J. Fleming, who is stepping down. Whitaker, who holds a bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of North Alabama, is also a member of the UNA Board of Trustees.

QurAlis is a Massachusetts-based biotech company developing breakthrough precision medicines for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets.

“Anne is a world-class leader who brings deep experience and expertise in building successful businesses and leading high-performance teams across all facets of the life sciences industry,” said Kasper Roet, founder and CEO of QurAlis. “We are exceptionally privileged to have Anne join as board chair, in this critical phase in which QurAlis is transforming from a pre-clinical to a clinical stage company.

“I am excited to work with her and our board in advancing our goal of halting disease progression and significantly improve outcomes for patients with ALS and other serious neurodegenerative diseases.”

Whitaker has more than 30 years of extensive leadership and commercialization experience in pharmaceuticals, biotech, consumer products, and medical devices. She is managing partner of Anne Whitaker Group, a board and private equity advisory firm. She has held senior-level executive leadership roles at Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Bausch Health, and multiple CEO roles for private and public development-stage companies.

“QurAlis has made tremendous strides in researching and developing a new approach to
treating ALS and other serious neurodegenerative diseases,” Whitaker said. “With a compelling pipeline and dynamic leadership team, QurAlis has the potential to transform the CNS therapeutic landscape.

“I am honored to join as chair to help QurAlis achieve its vision of pioneering the path to conquering ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets with next-generation precision medicines.”

Whitaker served as CEO of Aerami Therapeutics before taking on the chair of the board position in November 2020. She also serves as an independent director on the boards of numerous public and private companies. In addition to her board work, she is an advisor to
private equity and venture capital funds in the U.S. and Europe.