McKinley named Elevar CEO

Elevar Therapeutics Inc., a Salt Lake City-based biopharmaceutical company, has announced that its board of directors has named Kate McKinley, who has served as the company’s chief commercial officer (CCO) since 2019, as CEO. The appointment was effective with the announcement. As part of this leadership change, former CEO Alex Kim will become chairman of the board.

“I am honored to serve as CEO and to lead Elevar at such an important time in the company’s history,” said McKinley. “I look forward to working closely with the board, executive leadership team and our very talented employees to transform Elevar into a commercial-stage organization by delivering upon our strategic plans to bring promising medicines — rivoceranib and Apealea — to market for patients who currently have limited or inadequate therapeutic options.”

McKinley added, “We would like to thank Alex for his leadership, and I look forward to continued collaboration in his new role as chairman. In addition, Elevar plans to appoint a new CCO and we will communicate further details on this appointment shortly.”

McKinley joined Elevar in 2019 and as CCO led Elevar’s global commercial, medical affairs, business development, manufacturing, supply chain, alliance management and corporate communications organizations. She has more than 20 years of experience in developing high-performing cultures and organizations in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Elevar, she was the head of marketing, training and the hospital channel at Dendreon, a California-based biopharmaceutical company. She is a graduate of the University of Tulsa with an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with degrees in marketing, management and psychology.

“Kate’s appointment to CEO is a natural progression that reflects her proven, dynamic and visionary leadership within the biopharmaceutical industry and during her tenure at Elevar,” said Kim. “Kate has been instrumental to the development of the organization and on behalf of the board, we would like to congratulate her on this well-deserved appointment. We have the greatest of confidence in Kate and the executive team’s collective ability to successfully lead Elevar through its next phase of growth.”