Kailera Therapeutics Strengthens Its Board Of Directors With The Appointments Of Adam Koppel And Christopher Hite

Kailera Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation treatments for obesity and related diseases, has announced the addition of two new members to its Board of Directors: Dr. Adam Koppel and Mr. Christopher Hite. Dr. Adam Koppel brings over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He is currently a Partner on the Life Sciences team at Bain Capital and previously served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief Strategy Officer at Biogen. 

In addition to his new role at Kailera, Dr. Koppel serves on the boards of Areteia Therapeutics and Cardurion Pharmaceuticals and is actively involved with several academic and healthcare institutions, including the Harvard Medical School Discovery Council and the Mass General Brigham Innovation Growth Board. He holds an M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with degrees in History and Science.

Mr. Christopher Hite joins the board as an independent member and chair of the audit committee. He is currently Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman at Royalty Pharma. Before that, he held senior roles at Citibank, including Vice Chairman of Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory, and earlier led the Healthcare Investment Banking teams at both Citibank and Lehman Brothers. 

Ron Renaud, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kailera, said in a statement, “We are thrilled to welcome Adam and Chris to our Board of Directors. Their extensive track records as respected advisors to biopharma companies on corporate and financial strategy will be incredibly valuable as we continue to execute on our mission to advance next-generation therapies for the treatment of obesity.”

Koppel stated, “It’s an exciting time to join Kailera’s Board as they progress their pipeline toward late-stage global trials, and I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued success and long-term value creation.”

Mr. Christopher Hite also added, “I am pleased to join the Board of Kailera at this important time of innovation in the obesity space that has positively impacted millions of patients worldwide. Kailera has a clear strategy to advance their diversified pipeline, and I look forward to supporting the leadership team as they work towards achieving their mission.”

Mr. Hite also serves on the Board of Trustees at Lehigh University and the Board of Advisors of FasterCures. He previously served on the Board of Directors at Acceleron Pharma until its acquisition by Merck in 2021. He holds a B.S. from Lehigh University and earned both his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. The appointments are expected to strengthen Kailera’s strategic leadership and support its mission to advance transformative therapies for obesity and related conditions.