Our Team,Committed to Excellence
Management Team
Rostislav Raykov | Chief Executive Officer and Director
Mr Raykov has served as director of Fennec Pharmaceuticals and Chief Executive Officer since July 2009. Prior to Fennec, he was a co-founder and portfolio manager for Alchem Investment Partners, an event-driven hedge fund. He also served as a portfolio manager for Purchase Associates, an event-driven hedge fund owned by John Levin & Co., and worked as an analyst at Arbitrage Associates, a Merger Arbitrage hedge fund owned by Tiedeman Investment Group. He began his career as a financial analyst in the natural resources group at Bear Stearns. Mr Raykov graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration.
Robert Andrade | Chief Financial Officer
Mr Andrade joined Fennec Pharmaceuticals in November 2015 as Chief Financial Officer. In addition, he was previously Chief Financial Officer of Fennec from 2009 to 2013. His career spans 20 years of financial and capital markets experience, including numerous financings as well as merger and acquisition transactions. Mr Andrade previously served in senior investment positions at Magnetar Capital, Millennium Partners, and Caxton Associates. He earned a master of arts degree in economics from the University of Southern California.
Mark Gowland | Controller
Mr Gowland joined Fennec Pharmaceuticals in November 2015 as Controller. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Global Management Accountant with 17 years of accounting experience. Prior to Fennec, Mr Gowland worked at Cisco in project management and served as Controller for DNA Group and Gorbec Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to that, Mr Gowland worked as an auditor with Southeastern regional public accounting firm, Cherry Bekaert LLP. Mr Gowland earned a master of business administration in accounting and finance from Regis University.
Mark Meier | Senior Vice President, Commercial
Mr. Meier joined Fennec Pharmaceuticals in February 2022, bringing more than 25 years of experience in commercialization and strategic planning. Prior to joining the organization, Mr. Meier led operational and commercial teams and spearheaded organizational design across 5 drug launches for companies such as Lundbeck, Eli Lilly, GSK, and Galderma Labs. His wide range of specialty therapeutic experience spans categories from epilepsy to nonmetastatic malignant solid tumors with a focus on rare diseases. Mr. Meier graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, and participates on ongoing executive education with Columbia Business School.
Todd DeMarb | Vice President, Market Access and Commercial Supply
Mr. DeMarb brought his 30 years of prior experience in senior positions at Orphazyme US, Iterum Therapeutics, Melinta Therapeutics, and MedImmune to Fennec Pharmaceuticals in March 2022. He has led teams in the infectious disease, cardiovascular, respiratory, oncology, gastrointestinal, and neuroscience categories. Mr. DeMarb earned his Masters of Business Administration from Northern Illinois University.
Board of Directors
Dr Khalid Islam | Chairman
Dr Islam has over 30 years of experience in drug discovery and development of anti-infectives, hematology/oncology, and CNS therapies. Dr Islam currently serves as the Managing Director of Life Sciences Management GmbH, since 2014. Previously, Dr Islam served as Chairman and CEO of Gentium S.p.A., a Nasdaq-listed pharmaceutical company, from 2009 until 2014 (sold to Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc for $1 billion). He has also served as President and CEO of Arpida AG and held various positions at Sanofi-Aventis. Dr Islam also currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Minoryx Therapeutics and Gain Therapeutics and as a Member of the Board of Directors for Immunomedics, Inc. (IMMU).
Dr Marco Brughera | Director
Dr Brughera is Group Chief Executive Officer at Leadiant Biosciences S.p.A. Dr Brughera has extensive experience in drug development, portfolio optimization, business development, and general management, particularly in the oncology and rare disease areas. Dr Brughera successfully out-licensed Defibrotide to Jazz Pharma and Oncaspar to Baxalta, Incorporated for over $1 billion. He is also an active board member for some life-science companies.
Jodi A. Cook, PhD | Director
Dr Cook is the former head of gene therapy strategy at PTC Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, she was a founding member and Chief Operating Officer of Agilis Biotherapeutics, Inc., a gene therapy company focused on rare disease from 2013 until its acquisition by PTC Therapeutics, Inc. in 2018. She has held executive positions in a number of successful hearing industry biotech companies including Vice President of Clinical Research and Professional Relations at InSound Medical, Inc.
Adrian Haigh | Director
Mr Haigh currently holds the position of SVP and General Manager Europe, ME and AP for PTC Therapeutics, Inc. and has had previous positions as Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and Chief Operating Officer of Gentium GmbH, playing a pivotal role in the sale of Gentium to Jazz Pharmaceuticals for $1 billion. Prior to joining Gentium, Mr Haigh served as Regional Vice President, Commercial Operations at Biogen Idec.
Chris Rallis | Director
Mr Rallis has served as a director of Fennec since August 2011. Mr Rallis has been an executive-in-residence at Pappas Capital, a life science venture capital firm, since January 2008. Previously, Mr Rallis was the President and Chief Executive Officer of ImmunoBiosciences, Inc. (“IBI”), a vaccine technology company formerly located in Raleigh, North Carolina, from April 2006 through June 2007. Prior to joining IBI, Mr Rallis served as an executive in residence (part-time) for Pappas Ventures and as a consultant for Duke University and Panacos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr Rallis is the former President and Chief Operating Officer and director of Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Gilead Sciences, Inc. in January 2003 for approximately $465 million. Prior to assuming the role of President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2000, he was Executive Vice President, Business Development and General Counsel. While at Triangle, Mr Rallis participated in 11 equity financings generating gross proceeds of approximately $500 million. He was also primarily responsible for all business development activities which included a worldwide alliance with Abbott Laboratories and the in-licensing of 10 compounds. Before joining Triangle in 1995, Mr Rallis served in various business development and legal management roles with Burroughs Wellcome Co. over a 13-year period, including Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development. Mr Rallis also serves on the board of Tenax Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company located in Morrisville, North Carolina. Mr Rallis received his bachelor of arts degree in economics from Harvard College and a juris doctorate degree from Duke University.
Rostislav Raykov | Chief Executive Officer and Director
Mr Raykov has served as director of Fennec Pharmaceuticals and Chief Executive Officer since July 2009. Prior to Fennec, he was a co-founder and portfolio manager for Alchem Investment Partners, an event-driven hedge fund. He also served as a portfolio manager for Purchase Associates, an event-driven hedge fund owned by John Levin & Co., and worked as an analyst at Arbitrage Associates, a Merger Arbitrage hedge fund owned by Tiedeman Investment Group. He began his career as a financial analyst in the natural resources group at Bear Stearns. Mr Raykov graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration.