About

Anne Whitaker

Executive Chairwoman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer

Anne Whitaker is a seasoned healthcare executive and director with more than 30 years of extensive leadership and commercialization experience in pharmaceuticals, biotech, consumer products, and medical devices. She currently serves as managing partner of Anne Whitaker Group, LLC, a life science board and private equity advisory firm. She has held senior-level executive leadership roles at Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Bausch Health, and multiple CEO roles for private and public development-stage companies.

Anne is currently the chair of Aerami Therapeutics, where she was the company’s CEO from 2018-2020. She also serves as the Chairwoman of the Board for QurAlis, a private biotech advancing a deep pipeline of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and small molecule programs to treat patients with ALS.   Anne serves as an independent director of Orasure Technologies (NASDAQ: OSUR), Faron Pharmaceuticals (AIM: FARN), Caladrius Biosciences (NASDAQ: CLBS), ErgoMed Plc (LSE:ERGO), Nykode Therapeutics ASA, Curio Digital Therapeutics, Trinity Life Science Partners and Bryn Pharmaceuticals.

Anne has been recognized in the pharmaceutical industry by Fierce Pharma as one of the top 25 Most Influential People in BioPharma in 2012 and 2013, and in 2014 as one of the top 25 Most Influential Women in BioPharma. She was recognized in 2020 by PharmaVoice as one of the Top 100 most Inspiring Leaders in Healthcare and by Women, Inc. as one of the most Influential Corporate Directors in 2019. She is a member of Women Corporate Directors, International Women’s Forum and OnBoardNC. She holds a B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Alabama.

Joshua Ziel, PhD

Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Ziel spent the past five years focused on strategic planning for potential reverse remodeling agents in pulmonary hypertension, including PAH, PH-ILD, and pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease. He joined Aerami in 2022 as Vice President for Program Development with oversight on strategy and execution for the AER-901 pulmonary hypertension program. Prior to joining Aerami, he held senior executive positions at Syneos Health and the WPP agency network. Dr. Ziel holds a PhD in biology from Duke University, a BS in cell and molecular biology from the University of Michigan, and completed his postdoctoral fellowship in immunology at New York University.

Darlene Deptula-Hicks

Chief Financial Officer and Board Director

Darlene Deptula-Hicks has served on the board of directors and as audit committee chair of Aerami since October 2021 and formally accepted Aerami’s Chief Financial Officer role in October 2023. Darlene most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of F-star Therapeutics (FSTX) since 2019, which she took public in 2020 and through to the successful sale of the Company in March 2023. In addition, since early 2018 Darlene has operated Crimson Consulting, LLC, a strategic, financial and CFO consulting services company, and has also served as acting Chief Financial Officer for Northern Biologics from 2018 and to the successful sale of its preclinical and clinical programs to Boehringer Ingelheim and Astra Zeneca in 2020. Prior, she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of T2 Biosystems (TTOO). Previously she was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Pieris Pharmaceuticals (PIRS) which she also took public and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Microline Surgical. Darlene currently also serves on the board of directors and as audit committee chair of Abcuro and previously served on the board of directors and as audit committee chair of Giner Life Sciences, Xentic Biosciences, and IMCOR Pharmaceuticals. Darlene received her M.B.A. from Rivier University and a B.S in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University.

Gary Burgess, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Burgess brings more than 20 years of experience leading clinical development in the pharmaceutical industry with a focus on pulmonary hypertension, beginning his career as clinical lead for the development of sildenafil in PAH at Pfizer. He was instrumental in conceptualizing the AER-901 development program and oversaw the clinical aspects of the completed Phase 1 study as a consultant to Aerami. Prior to joining Aerami, Gary led clinical development for multiple companies, including as Chief Medical Officer for Conatus. Dr. Burgess completed his undergraduate and post graduate medical training at the University of Stellenbosch and Tygerberg Hospital in South Africa where he specialized in Internal Medicine. He subsequently worked at II Military Hospital and at Milnerton Mediclinic in Cape Town.

Sarah Fritchley, PhD

SVP, Clinical Development and Operations

Dr. Fritchley also brings more than 20 years of experience from both pharmaceutical and contract research organizations (CROs), most recently as Chief Development Officer for Exvastat, a company focused on developing imatinib as a potential treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome. Throughout her career, Sarah has directed clinical trials for various clinical development programs in a variety of therapeutic areas, including oncology, acute respiratory distress syndrome, allergy, pain, various inflammatory disorders, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. She has worked in small start-up biotechnology companies through mid-sized global biopharmaceutical organizations and directed several programs within the CRO sector. Dr. Fritchley received her BSc degree in pharmacology from the University of Sheffield, followed by a PhD in immunology from Newcastle University.

Chad Whitaker

Director of Business Operations

Coming Soon

In Memoriam: Lisa Yanez

Chief Executive Officer

Our efforts are dedicated to the memory of Aerami CEO, Lisa Yanez, a leader in pulmonary hypertension drug development and fierce advocate for helping people with pulmonary hypertension live longer and better lives.