Board of Directors
Nick Pontikes
Chairman and CEO
Nicholas K. Pontikes is one of the original investors in Genus Oncology, and has been Chairman and CEO since September 2014.
Mr. Pontikes was previously CEO of Comdisco, a multibillion dollar technology services company. Prior to Comdisco, he worked in mergers and acquisitions for Drexel Burnham Lambert and The Blackstone Group. He serves on several corporate and philanthropic boards including Tomahawk Strategic Solutions and The University of Chicago Medical Center.
Thomas H. Patrick, MBA
Director
Thomas H. Patrick is Chairman of New Vernon Capital, LLC, an investment management company he helped found in 2004. Prior to forming New Vernon Capital, LLC, Mr. Patrick was the Executive Vice Chairman of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., and prior thereto he held a number of executive positions during his nearly 30 year tenure with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. working in insurance, special advisory services, equity markets, and financials. Mr. Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University, and a master’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed the coursework for a doctorate in finance from Northwestern University.
Rick Kash
Director
Rick Kash founded Genus Oncology, and served as its Chairman until 2014. Mr Kash is Vice Chair of Nielsen, appointed to this role in January 2012. He is the founder of The Cambridge Group, a division of Nielsen and one of the world’s preeminent growth strategy consulting firms. Mr. Kash is the co-author (with Nielsen CEO David Calhoun) of How Companies Win and is the author of The New Law of Demand and Supply: The Revolutionary New Demand Strategy for Faster Growth and Higher Profits.
Donald Kufe
Director
Donald Kufe, M.D. is Distinguished Physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Leader of the Developmental Therapeutics Program at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kufe has worked at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on the molecular biology of human cancer and the development of anti-cancer agents for over 30 years. The focus of his research has been on the role of the MUC1 oncoprotein in the development of human cancers.
Dr. Kufe has served as the Deputy Director of the Dana-Farber Cancer Center and as Leader of the Experimental Therapeutics Program. Dr. Kufe has over 600 publications and is an editor of the widely recognized textbook, Cancer Medicine. Dr. Kufe holds numerous patents related to anti-cancer treatment and is an advisor to multiple pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Kufe has founded companies that include GenVec (Nasdaq), Convergence Pharmaceuticals (acquired by ILEX Oncology and Genzyme), Bradmer Pharmaceuticals (TSX), Genus Oncology, Linus Oncology and NanoProteagen.
William Smithburg
Mr. Smithburg was Chairman and CEO of The Quaker Oats Company until his retirement in 1997. He also served as Director of Abbott Laboratories, Northern Trust, Corning Incorporated and Smurfit Stone until 2011. He is currently a Director of the Barry- Wehmiller Company. He serves as a Life Trustee of Northwestern University and on the Board of Big Shoulders. He has served as a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director of Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was Chairman of the Board from 1992 to 1993. He received a B.S. degree from DePaul University, Chicago, in 1960, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in 1962.
Walter McLallen
Mr. McLallen has been the principal of Meritage Capital Advisors, advising corporations in structuring debt and private equity transactions and providing strategic consulting since 2004. Presently, Mr. McLallen serves as a member of the Board of Directors of AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE) and Differential Brands Group Inc. (NASDAQ), as well as a several private companies. He was an advisor to and Director of the Remington Outdoor Company and its predecessors from 2006 through June 2015 and served as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board for the last five years of such period. Mr. McLallen was a Managing Director of CIBC World Markets from 1995 to 2004, during which he was Head of Debt Capital Markets from 1997 to 2004, as well as Head of High Yield Distribution from 2001 to 2004. Mr. McLallen held Associate and Vice President positions at The Argosy Group from 1990 through 1995 and was an Analyst in the mergers and acquisitions department at Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1988 to 1990. Mr. McLallen received his BA in Economics and Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1988.
Vernon R. Loucks, Jr.
Mr. Loucks is the retired Chairman and CEO of Baxter International, Inc. Mr. Loucks holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University and a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Loucks is active in business, education and civic affairs and is currently a senior advisor to Candescent Health and a member of Metalmark Capital, LLC’s Advisory Board.
Chairman and CEO
Nicholas K. Pontikes is one of the original investors in Genus Oncology, and has been Chairman and CEO since September 2014.
Mr. Pontikes was previously CEO of Comdisco, a multibillion dollar technology services company. Prior to Comdisco, he worked in mergers and acquisitions for Drexel Burnham Lambert and The Blackstone Group. He serves on several corporate and philanthropic boards including Tomahawk Strategic Solutions and The University of Chicago Medical Center.
Thomas H. Patrick, MBA
Director
Thomas H. Patrick is Chairman of New Vernon Capital, LLC, an investment management company he helped found in 2004. Prior to forming New Vernon Capital, LLC, Mr. Patrick was the Executive Vice Chairman of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., and prior thereto he held a number of executive positions during his nearly 30 year tenure with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. working in insurance, special advisory services, equity markets, and financials. Mr. Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University, and a master’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed the coursework for a doctorate in finance from Northwestern University.
Rick Kash
Director
Rick Kash founded Genus Oncology, and served as its Chairman until 2014. Mr Kash is Vice Chair of Nielsen, appointed to this role in January 2012. He is the founder of The Cambridge Group, a division of Nielsen and one of the world’s preeminent growth strategy consulting firms. Mr. Kash is the co-author (with Nielsen CEO David Calhoun) of How Companies Win and is the author of The New Law of Demand and Supply: The Revolutionary New Demand Strategy for Faster Growth and Higher Profits.
Donald Kufe
Director
Donald Kufe, M.D. is Distinguished Physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Leader of the Developmental Therapeutics Program at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kufe has worked at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on the molecular biology of human cancer and the development of anti-cancer agents for over 30 years. The focus of his research has been on the role of the MUC1 oncoprotein in the development of human cancers.
Dr. Kufe has served as the Deputy Director of the Dana-Farber Cancer Center and as Leader of the Experimental Therapeutics Program. Dr. Kufe has over 600 publications and is an editor of the widely recognized textbook, Cancer Medicine. Dr. Kufe holds numerous patents related to anti-cancer treatment and is an advisor to multiple pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Kufe has founded companies that include GenVec (Nasdaq), Convergence Pharmaceuticals (acquired by ILEX Oncology and Genzyme), Bradmer Pharmaceuticals (TSX), Genus Oncology, Linus Oncology and NanoProteagen.
William Smithburg
Mr. Smithburg was Chairman and CEO of The Quaker Oats Company until his retirement in 1997. He also served as Director of Abbott Laboratories, Northern Trust, Corning Incorporated and Smurfit Stone until 2011. He is currently a Director of the Barry- Wehmiller Company. He serves as a Life Trustee of Northwestern University and on the Board of Big Shoulders. He has served as a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director of Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was Chairman of the Board from 1992 to 1993. He received a B.S. degree from DePaul University, Chicago, in 1960, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in 1962.
Walter McLallen
Mr. McLallen has been the principal of Meritage Capital Advisors, advising corporations in structuring debt and private equity transactions and providing strategic consulting since 2004. Presently, Mr. McLallen serves as a member of the Board of Directors of AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE) and Differential Brands Group Inc. (NASDAQ), as well as a several private companies. He was an advisor to and Director of the Remington Outdoor Company and its predecessors from 2006 through June 2015 and served as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board for the last five years of such period. Mr. McLallen was a Managing Director of CIBC World Markets from 1995 to 2004, during which he was Head of Debt Capital Markets from 1997 to 2004, as well as Head of High Yield Distribution from 2001 to 2004. Mr. McLallen held Associate and Vice President positions at The Argosy Group from 1990 through 1995 and was an Analyst in the mergers and acquisitions department at Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1988 to 1990. Mr. McLallen received his BA in Economics and Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1988.
Vernon R. Loucks, Jr.
Mr. Loucks is the retired Chairman and CEO of Baxter International, Inc. Mr. Loucks holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University and a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Loucks is active in business, education and civic affairs and is currently a senior advisor to Candescent Health and a member of Metalmark Capital, LLC’s Advisory Board.