Company

Rob Brown joins Brickell as Chief Executive Officer, after having spent over 30 years at Eli Lilly and Company, where he most recently served as chief marketing officer (CMO) and senior vice president of marketing from 2009 through 2018. As CMO, Brown was responsible for building and leading marketing capabilities across Lilly’s pharmaceutical business units, including diabetes, oncology, emerging markets and Lilly Bio-Medicines.

Prior to his role as CMO, Brown held the position of vice president and chief marketing officer for Lilly USA from 2007 - 2009, where he partnered with the business units to ensure Lilly continued to develop industry leading marketing capabilities, streamline and improve marketing processes, and transform marketing by building a consumer marketing center of excellence.

From 2003-2007, Brown was the executive director of marketing for the Intercontinental region, including responsibility for Europe. As the head marketer for Lilly’s international operations, Brown was responsible for the marketing of all Lilly products outside the United States.

Brown previously served as the global marketing director for Cialis and Lilly ICOS, a 50/50 joint venture between Lilly and ICOS Corp from 1999-2003. Brown oversaw the global marketing strategy for the first competitor to Viagra and influenced the product development to ensure maximum market value. In 2004, Cialis was awarded Best Brand Launch of the Year by the Pharmaceutical Marketing Congress.

In addition, Brown held a variety of other leadership roles of increasing responsibility within Lilly’s sales, marketing and product management departments, including serving as general manager for Lilly China, where he helped Lilly establish its presence. During his tenure as GM, he managed a joint venture in Suzhou, oversaw the construction of Lilly’s first manufacturing facility and expanded the affiliate’s reach from 12 to 45 cities. Notably, Brown also helped establish STC Corporation, a generic subsidiary for Lilly, and served as its first president.

Brown joined Lilly in 1985, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in economics from DePauw University and a master’s in business administration from Indiana University. Brown currently serves on the board of trustees of Franklin College.

Andy Sklawer has over 17 years of experience in building and operating development-stage companies.

Prior to co-founding Brickell, he served as the Head of Operations at Concordia Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an oncology drug development company acquired by Kadmon Corporation in 2011. Prior to Concordia, Mr. Sklawer held various positions with increasing responsibility at Verid, Inc., a developer of security technology prior to and subsequent to its acquisition by EMC Corporation.

Mr. Sklawer holds a B.S. degree in Marketing from the University of Florida and received his M.B.A. from the University of Miami. Andy currently serves as a Board Member for the Colorado Biosciences Association, StartUp FIU, and is on the Advisory Committee of the Advancing Innovation in Dermatology Accelerator Fund.

Monica Luchi joins Brickell with 20 years of experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry across all phases of clinical development, strategic planning and business development. Monica was most recently working as interim Chief Medical Officer and Clinical Development consultant for The Bracken Group.

Monica began her career in an academic practice focused on Rheumatology and Immunology before moving to the pharmaceutical industry. She has held positions of increasing responsibility at Novartis, Incyte, Mesoblast, Immune Pharmaceuticals, Celularity and Sorrento Pharmaceuticals in clinical development, translational medicine, and strategic planning, as well as key business development roles. Her experience ranges across all stages of development, from exploratory phase 1 through phase 3, in multiple therapeutic indications, and includes numerous regulatory filings.

Dr. Luchi earned a B.A, Biology, Health Sciences Policy from University of Maryland, an M.D. from Northeastern Ohio Universities, College of Medicine, an M.B.A from George Washington University and an Innovation and Entrepreneurship program certificate from Stanford University. Dr. Luchi is a practicing rheumatologist with an adjunct appointment at the University of Pennsylvania. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Children’s Village, NYC.

With more than two decades of regulatory and clinical development experience in the Pharma, Biotech and Medical Device fields, Deepak Chadha is responsible for leading Brickell’s R&D organization.

Mr. Chadha's management experience encompasses providing strategic vision, leadership, and oversight to ensure the successful execution of global product development programs, including direct responsibility over the preclinical, CMC, quality, clinical and regulatory functions. Mr. Chadha has worked on various product development projects for drugs, biologics, medical devices and combination products, including marketing applications to the FDA, the EMA, as well as the regulatory agencies of the UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan among others, which resulted in the approval of several products that went on to become best-in-class within their respective areas.
Prior to Brickell, Mr. Chadha held the role of Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs at Suneva Medical. During his time at Suneva Medical, Mr. Chadha led the regulatory approval for BELLAFILL® dermal filler for acne scar correction and supported the company’s commercial products life cycle management. Before Suneva, Mr. Chadha worked at Allergan (f.k.a. KYTHERA), where Mr. Chadha successfully led their lead product, KYBELLA®, from an early clinical phase to an NDA stage, and also supported the ex-US regulatory activities. Mr. Chadha also served as Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs at Allergan Medical (f.k.a. Inamed Corporation), where he assisted in building the organization’s Global Regulatory Affairs department, and was involved with the approval for JUVEDERM®, Bioenterics®, LAP-BAND® and Silicone gel-filled Breast Implants. In addition, his career has included positions of increasing responsibility at Biomeasure Inc. (IPSEN) and Stryker Biotech.

Mr. Chadha holds a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Berhampur University in Orissa, India, an MS in Pharmaceutics from Hamdard University in New Delhi, India, and an MBA in International Business from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

David McAvoy joins Brickell Biotech as General Counsel. Prior to this, Dave served as General Counsel, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for the nuclear medicine and oncology biotech Endocyte, Inc., helping it to be acquired successfully by Novartis AG for $2.1 billion in December 2018.

Before Endocyte, Mr. McAvoy was at Eli Lilly and Company for 27 years including as General Counsel of Lilly Emerging Markets – at the time, a $3 billion company division – and most recently there in an executive management business role running strategic alliances for the food animal production group at Lilly’s former Elanco Animal Health subsidiary, now spun off. Also at Lilly, Mr. McAvoy was lead counsel for several iconic medicines, including Prozac® for depression, Gemzar® for pancreatic and lung cancers, and ReoPro®, one of the first interventional cardiology agents. While there he partnered with FDA to create important policy precedents in orphan drug, direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals, and clinical trial transparency that influence the industry favorably today.

Mr. McAvoy earned a J.D. and Master of Science in Environmental Science with highest honors from Indiana University, and a B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame. He serves on the Board of Directors for The Villages of Indiana, Inc., championing families for abandoned and abused children.

Mr. Marchio joins Brickell after successfully leading the financial teams of biomedical and life science companies for over 40 years. His extensive record of success includes an $82M IPO, almost $100M in crossover and Series A, B, and C financing, and invaluable experience within Investor Relations, Risk Management, SOX, Building Corporate Culture, Human Resource Management, Benefit Finance, IT Management, Tax Planning and Compliance.

Prior to joining Brickell, Mr. Marchio consulted for public (CytomX Therapeutics (CTMX)) and private life sciences companies. He served in various finance and accounting leadership roles from 2011 to 2018 at Edge Therapeutics, Inc. (now known as PDS Biotechnology Corporation), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, including Chief Accounting and Administrative Officer, Interim Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting and Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Marchio was a Managing Operating Partner with Three Fields Capital, a multi-strategy healthcare focused investment firm and provided consulting services to life science companies through Rockabye Valley Consulting from January 2009 to May 2013. Previously, Mr. Marchio served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Informed Medical Communications from February 2008 to October 2009, and as the Vice President, Treasurer of MedPointe Pharmaceuticals from 2006 to January 2008. He began his career in life sciences as the Vice President, Treasurer of Alpharma, Inc. from 1992 to 2005.

Dr. Herzberg is joining Brickell Bio with over two decades of industry experience, focusing on translational and preclinical development of small molecules, antibodies, and cell-based therapies. While training at NIH, he elucidated the mechanisms by which cannabinoids modulate neuropathic pain and the role of inflammation and Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in painful neuropathy. He established the preclinical capabilities at Acorda, lead TRPv1 in-vivo program at Neurogen, and developed localized drug delivery concepts at Johnson and Johnson. At Celgene he led the translational and preclinical development of several cell-based products, with successful regulatory milestones and mechanistic understanding for several indications. At Celularity he headed the Regulatory Affairs Department and at Cabaletta Bio he was instrumental in opening an IND for MuSK Myasthenia Gravis

Dr. Herzberg earned his BSc and DVM from Washington State University, Ph.D. in veterinary biology and neuroimmunology from the University of Minnesota and an MBA in Pharmaceutical development from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a board member of National Bone Marrow Donor Program.

Gary brings 35+ years of marketing and general management experience to Brickell Bio as Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining Brickell, Gary spent 10 years at the Eli Lilly Company building and leading Global Brands and preparing them for successful launch. His experience spans multiple disease states - including Alzheimer’s Disease, Chronic Pain, and Depression. As a global marketing leader for Eli Lilly, Gary also had an opportunity to lead the Digital Innovation team in Japan, as well as make the company’s first Disease State Education TV advertisement in Japan.

Prior to Eli Lilly, Gary served the Steak n Shake Company (NYSE listed $1B+ revenues) as Senior Vice President, COO. In the 9 years Gary spent at Steak n Shake, he played a leading role in accelerating marketing, menu and service innovation. Gary also led the franchising business for Steak n Shake for 5 years.

Gary’s other previous marketing and general management experience includes 4 years with DowBrands and 14 years with Procter & Gamble. Over that period, Gary launched 10+ new innovative products across numerous brands like Scrubbing Bubbles, Tide, Cascade, Ivory, etc.

Gary has a BS Chemical Engineering from Bucknell University and has deep knowledge of Six Sigma, 4DX Execution, Service Profit Chain and Innovation/Design Thinking processes.

Sue Fattor joins Brickell with over 20 years of HR experience, in both the high tech and biotech industries. Sue has extensive experience developing HR processes, systems, and procedures, including leading the implementation of innovative employee work/life policies improving employee engagement and retention.

Prior to working with Brickell, Sue was the Director of Human Resources at Clovis Oncology, Inc., and managed the growth of the company in the US, and initial expansion into Western Europe. She was responsible for the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of all US employees, including growing the company from less than 100 employees to over 300 employees in one year, and approximately 500 employees worldwide in 4 years.

Additionally, Sue has taught HR Management and Change Leadership courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels and earned her BA in Psychology and Sociology as well as her MBA with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from the University of Colorado, in Boulder. She is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Nancy brings more than 20 years of experience in the area of clinical operations management, providing consulting services to several pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies, with a specialization in the dermatology space. She has worked on Phase 1 through 4 studies encompassing small molecules, biologics, medical devices and combination products. Over the last three years she has been actively supporting Brickell’s clinical operations projects related to the sofpironium bromide (SB) clinical development program, starting with the Phase 2b study, the on-going long-term safety study and leading the planning and initiation of Phase 3 studies later this year. Nancy is leading the efforts for SB P3 clinical studies.

Aron Aizenstat currently serves as Brickell's Vice President, Corporate Development and Operations and has 11 years of experience growing and leading development-stage biotech and startup companies. As one of the longest-tenured employees at Brickell, he has held various positions of increasing responsibility within Program and Alliance Management, Corporate Development and Strategy, Business Operations, and Investor Relations. Prior to joining Brickell, he served in a Senior Management role at DLA TV while launching the first ever streaming video-on-demand platform in Latin America. Mr. Aizenstat started his career leading the development of a state-of-the art hedge fund management software at Kaufman Rossin Fund Services, a leading hedge fund administrator in South Florida, which was acquired by ALPS, a subsidiary of DST Systems, Inc. in 2015 for over $90 million. Mr. Aizenstat earned his B.A. degree in Chemistry from Claremont Mckenna College and received his MBA from the University of Colorado – Boulder.

Prior to joining Brickell, Dr. McElvain has consulted for multiple pharmaceutical companies in CMC Head and leadership roles including CMC Operations, Process Development, Formulation Development, Analytical Development, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality organizations. Before becoming a pharmaceutical CMC consultant, Dr. McElvain was Vice President and Head of the Quality and Analytical Departments at Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (acquired by Allergan in 2015) in Westlake Village, CA and contributed to the successful CMC development and commercialization of Kybella®/Belkyra™ . Prior to joining Kythera, Dr. McElvain held various small molecule analytical and bioanalytical leadership positions at Amgen in Thousand Oaks, CA and Hoechst Marion Roussel in Kansas City, MO.

Mr. Hardy has over 25 years of experience in serving as the Chief Executive Officer and/or President for publicly-traded and privately-held pharmaceutical companies.

Prior to Brickell, Reginald was the co-founder and President of Concordia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. an oncology drug development company acquired by Kadmon Corporation in 2011. Mr. Hardy was co-founder and President of SANO Corporation, a pharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel transdermal drug delivery systems that was acquired by Elan Corporation. Prior to SANO, Mr. Hardy served as the President of the generics group at IVAX Corporation. Reginald has also held various corporate roles with Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Key Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Hardy earned his B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill and M.B.A. from UNC-Greensboro.

Rob Brown joins Brickell as Chief Executive Officer, after having spent over 30 years at Eli Lilly and Company, where he most recently served as chief marketing officer (CMO) and senior vice president of marketing from 2009 through 2018. As CMO, Brown was responsible for building and leading marketing capabilities across Lilly’s pharmaceutical business units, including diabetes, oncology, emerging markets and Lilly Bio-Medicines.

Prior to his role as CMO, Brown held the position of vice president and chief marketing officer for Lilly USA from 2007 - 2009, where he partnered with the business units to ensure Lilly continued to develop industry leading marketing capabilities, streamline and improve marketing processes, and transform marketing by building a consumer marketing center of excellence.

From 2003-2007, Brown was the executive director of marketing for the Intercontinental region, including responsibility for Europe. As the head marketer for Lilly’s international operations, Brown was responsible for the marketing of all Lilly products outside the United States.

Brown previously served as the global marketing director for Cialis and Lilly ICOS, a 50/50 joint venture between Lilly and ICOS Corp from 1999-2003. Brown oversaw the global marketing strategy for the first competitor to Viagra and influenced the product development to ensure maximum market value. In 2004, Cialis was awarded Best Brand Launch of the Year by the Pharmaceutical Marketing Congress.

In addition, Brown held a variety of other leadership roles of increasing responsibility within Lilly’s sales, marketing and product management departments, including serving as general manager for Lilly China, where he helped Lilly establish its presence. During his tenure as GM, he managed a joint venture in Suzhou, oversaw the construction of Lilly’s first manufacturing facility and expanded the affiliate’s reach from 12 to 45 cities. Notably, Brown also helped establish STC Corporation, a generic subsidiary for Lilly, and served as its first president.

Brown joined Lilly in 1985, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in economics from DePauw University and a master’s in business administration from Indiana University. Brown currently serves on the board of trustees of Franklin College.

Mr. Lyons held various positions with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, for 16 years through January 2008, including President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors. From 1983 to 1993, Mr. Lyons held various executive positions at Genentech, Inc., a biotechnology company, including Vice President of Business Development, Vice President of Sales, and Director of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Lyons presently serves as a member of the board of directors of Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. and Novus Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVUS) and is chairman of the board of directors of Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Travere Therapeutics, Inc., all of which are publicly held biotechnology companies. In addition, Mr. Lyons served previously on the board of directors of PDL BioPharma, Facet Biotech Corporation, KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and NeurogesX, Inc. Mr. Lyons holds a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of New Hampshire and an M.B.A. degree from Northwestern University, JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Mr. Lyons’ extensive managerial experience, including his role as a Chief Executive Officer and other executive level positions at public and private companies in the biotechnology sector provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve on the combined company’s board of directors.

Mr. Samant served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Vical since November 2000. Prior to joining Vical, he had 23 years of diverse U.S. and international sales, marketing, operations, and business development experience with Merck. From 1998 to 2000, he was Chief Operating Officer of the Merck Vaccine Division. From 1990 to 1998, he served in the Merck Manufacturing Division as Vice President of Vaccine Operations, Vice President of Business Affairs and Executive Director of Materials Management. Mr. Samant holds a master’s degree in management studies from the Sloan School of Management at MIT, a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Bombay, University Department of Chemical Technology. Mr. Samant was a member of the board of directors of AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation from 2015 to 2019, a member of the board of directors of Raptor Pharmaceutical Corporation from 2011 to 2014, and a member of the board of directors for BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. from 2002 to 2004. Mr. Samant was a Director of the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation from 2001 to 2010, a member of the Board of Trustees for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases from 2003 to 2012, and a member of the Board of Trustees for the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, Korea from 2008 to 2012. Mr. Samant’s extensive expertise in biopharmaceutical development and product commercialization, as well as his strong technical and entrepreneurial experience in diverse fields provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve on the combined company’s board of directors.