Fate Therapeutics Appoints Neurocrine CFO Matthew Abernethy to Board of Directors

Fate Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company focused on off-the-shelf iPSC-derived cell therapies, has appointed Matthew Abernethy, M.B.A., to its Board of Directors, effective May 29, 2025. Mr. Abernethy brings more than 15 years of corporate finance and investor relations experience in the biotech and medtech sectors. Concurrent with his appointment, Timothy P. Coughlin has stepped down from the board.

“Mr. Abernethy is a highly accomplished financial and business leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, and we are delighted to welcome him to our Board of Directors. Matt’s leadership in building a high-growth commercial biotech company and insights in capital strategy and long-term planning through key inflection points, will be invaluable as we continue to advance our pipeline of innovative cell therapy products in autoimmunity and oncology for broad patient access. I also would like to extend my deep gratitude to Tim for his many valuable contributions and years of service to Fate,” said Bob Valamehr, Ph.D., M.B.A., President and Chief Executive Officer of Fate Therapeutics.

Mr. Abernethy served as Chief Financial Officer at Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., a neuroscience-focused biopharma company, where he has held the role since 2017. In this position, he oversees a range of functions including finance, accounting, and information technology. His previous roles include a range of finance leadership positions at Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., a major player in the global medical technology space.

“I feel privileged to be joining the Board of Directors of Fate Therapeutics at this transformative time when cell therapy has the potential to help many patients across both cancer and immunological disorders. Specifically, FT819 provides a highly differentiated, true off-the-shelf approach, with the potential to provide long term remission for patients with lupus and other autoimmune diseases. I look forward to joining Fate’s Board of Directors with the aim to help many patients’ lives over the years ahead,” expressed Mr. Abernethy. 

With foundational experience at KPMG LLP, Mr. Abernethy is a certified public accountant (inactive) and holds a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration from Grace College and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. His addition strengthens Fate Therapeutics' leadership as it continues developing innovative cell-based immunotherapies.