Galecto Appoints Sherwin Sattarzadeh As COO And Dr. Becker Hewes As CMO To Lead Blood Cancer Therapy Development

Galecto, Inc., a biotechnology company developing innovative therapies for blood cancers, including mutant calreticulin (“mutCALR”) myeloproliferative neoplasms (“MPN”), announced today the appointment of Sherwin Sattarzadeh as Chief Operating Officer and Dr. Becker Hewes as Chief Medical Officer, effective January 5, 2026. Both executives join Galecto from Blueprint Medicines Corporation, where they held senior leadership positions.

Hans Schambye, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Galecto, said, “We are delighted to welcome Sherwin and Becker to Galecto. Their extensive experience in drug development and leadership in bringing new therapies to market will play a critical role as we prepare to advance DMR-001 into clinical trials later this year. With their expertise, Galecto is well-positioned to accelerate the development of our pipeline and provide patients with new treatment options.”

Sherwin Sattarzadeh brings more than 20 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, he served as Chief Business Officer at Blueprint Medicines, where he spent ten years in progressively responsible roles, including Head of Regulatory Affairs, Chief of Staff, and Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations. He has played a key role in hematology, oncology, and rare disease drug development and contributed to the global approvals of AYVAKIT® (avapritinib), GAVRETO® (pralsetinib), CERDELGA® (eliglustat), and MOZOBIL® (plerixafor). Mr. Sattarzadeh holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia and an M.B.A. from Boston University.

Dr. Becker Hewes has over twenty years of experience in drug development, focusing on hematology and oncology. He most recently served as Chief Medical Officer at Blueprint Medicines, where he led the development of therapies for mast cell disorders and solid tumors, including the approval of AYVAKIT® for indolent and advanced systemic mastocytosis. Prior to his tenure at Blueprint, Dr. Hewes was involved in early-stage oncology programs, leading clinical development and translational medicine efforts for multiple therapies, including Kisqali® (ribociclib), and managing registration programs for Bosulif® (bosutinib) and Torisel® (temsirolimus). He received his Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University and his M.D. from Georgetown University, completed his residency at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, and completed fellowship training in Pediatric Oncology at Emory University.

In connection with these appointments, Galecto’s Compensation Committee approved equity awards under the Company’s 2022 Inducement Plan. Sherwin Sattarzadeh received 190,376 restricted stock units and non-qualified stock options to purchase 444,209 shares of common stock. Dr. Hewes received 264,629 restricted stock units and non-qualified stock options to purchase 528,603 shares of common stock.

The stock options have an exercise price of $21.82 per share and vest 25 percent on the first anniversary of the grant date, with the remaining 75 percent vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 36 months, subject to continued employment. The restricted stock units will vest annually over four years, also contingent on continued employment. These grants were made as inducements material to the appointments of Mr. Sattarzadeh and Dr. Hewes, in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).