GenSight Biologics appoints William Monteith to its Board of Directors

Paris, France, June 3, 2024, 7:30 am CEST – GenSight Biologics (Euronext: SIGHT, ISIN: FR0013183985, PEA-PME eligible), a biopharma company focused on developing and commercializing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders, today announced the appointment of William Monteith to its Board of Directors. Mr. Monteith joined as an independent Director after existing Board members approved his nomination at the meeting on May 29, 2024.

“I am excited by the opportunity to serve as an advisor and expert resource for the GenSight team and its Board, as the company solidifies the progress made this past year,” commented William Monteith. “I look forward to supporting Scott Jeffers and his team of subject matter experts in getting LUMEVOQ manufacturing to the point of consistently producing this drug at the highest standards of quality, thereby enabling us to commercialize this much-needed gene therapy for patients affected by LHON.”

“I am honored and thrilled to be able to work with an executive with Bill’s decades of experience in biologics and gene therapy manufacturing, including his highly relevant expertise in AAV-based manufacturing, operational excellence, and CDMO management,” said Scott Jeffers, Chief Technology Officer of GenSight Biologics. “His years of experience working with CDMOs will be invaluable in our next phase of becoming a commercial organization.”

William Monteith has over 43 years of experience in both small molecule and large molecule pharmaceutical manufacturing, during which he held increasing positions of responsibility for Operations, Quality and Technical Support. He has been directly involved in the site search, design and build out of 6 pharmaceutical and biotech facilities. While at Wyeth and Sandoz he oversaw the successful implementation of remediation activities for regulatory actions. He was the General Manager for Dendreon when the company became the first to gain approval for and launch an immunotherapy made from a patient’s own cells. He later became the Executive Vice President of Dendreon responsible for the manufacturing, supply chain and the launch of Provenge® in Europe.

After the sale of Dendreon to Valeant, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer at Progenitor Cell Therapy, a CDMO that was eventually acquired by Hitachi Chemical. During his role with Hitachi, he oversaw the expansion of their Allendale, NJ, USA, facility as well as the buildout of a cell and gene therapy facility in Yokohama Japan. Upon leaving Hitachi Chemical Advanced Therapies, Bill joined Cellectis as the Vice President Manufacturing, North America where he was responsible for locating a CarT manufacturing facility in North America, eventually overseeing the purchase and build out of a facility in Raleigh, North Carolina. Shortly after the buildout, Bill was appointed the Executive Vice President of Global Operations for Cellectis responsible for operational departments in both Raleigh and Paris.

Upon leaving Cellectis, Bill was named Chief Operating Officer for Stridebio, a research development company focused on AAV products for rare diseases. There he was responsible for the buildout of the operations departments and a clinical manufacturing facility. Since his retirement, Bill has taken the role of Program Director for the North Carolina Life Sciences Biomanufacturing Forum, a trade organization that advocates for the life sciences companies that operate in the state.

“As we gain momentum and leave behind the manufacturing challenges we faced in the past, Bill’s extensive experience on the company and CDMO sides of manufacturing will be a fantastic complement to Scott’s deep expertise and past successes working on LUMEVOQ manufacturing,” said Laurence Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer of GenSight Biologics. “On behalf of the GenSight team, I welcome him warmly to our Board.”

The Company also officially appointed Ivan Tortet, who has been serving as interim Chief Financial Officer, to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Ivan actively participated in the last two financing rounds conducted by the Company. Ivan joins GenSight with eight years’ experience at Deloitte, augmented by the experience of serving as the CFO of various high-growth digital and high-tech companies. Ivan holds a master’s degree in finance from ESC Dijon and has also completed the program at INSEAD.