Kate Bechtold, Also Formerly of Kite Pharma, to Join the Expanded Communications Team as Director of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
RA’ANANA, Israel, and NEW YORK, Jan. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UroGen Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ:URGN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments to address unmet needs in the field of urology, with a focus on uro-oncology, today announced the appointment of Christine Cassiano, formerly the top communications executive at Kite Pharma, Inc. (“Kite”), as the Company’s Corporate Affairs Officer with overall responsibility for global communications. Ms. Cassiano will join the Company’s senior management team and will report to UroGen Pharma’s Chief Executive Officer, Ron Bentsur. In addition, Catherine (Kate) Bechtold, also formerly of Kite, will be joining UroGen Pharma as Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, reporting to Ms. Cassiano.
“Christine has been a trusted partner amongst many members of our senior management team and Board of Directors. Her unique perspective and depth of experience in communications will be vital in this new role,” said Mr. Bentsur. “I am delighted to have both Christine and Kate join our team as we prepare for a critical year.”
“I am excited to join UroGen’s senior management team and establish a strategic communications platform that will allow us to reach all key stakeholders and build for the Company’s next chapter,” said Ms. Cassiano.
Ms. Cassiano is a communications executive with wide experience in investor relations, corporate communications, media relations, brand strategy and public affairs. Ms. Cassiano previously served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations for Kite until the acquisition of Kite by Gilead Sciences in 2017. Ms. Cassiano’s career is distinguished through the development of integrated communications strategies for companies with novel therapies such as Yescarta™ (axicabtagene ciloleucel) and Botox®/Botox® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA). She has held executive management positions in international communications agencies, including roles as the Head of Healthcare for the W2O Group and Senior Vice President & Co-Director, Healthcare at Hill + Knowlton Strategies. Ms. Cassiano co-founded ARC2 Communications & Media, a boutique agency that developed groundbreaking platforms for some of the largest companies in healthcare. She has also held senior global communications roles in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies such as Amgen, Allergan and Abraxis BioScience. Some of Ms. Cassiano’s career achievements include a SABRE Silver Anvil award for the launch of Botox® Cosmetic (Allergan), an In2 SABRE Award for the Most Innovative Brand/Agency Collaboration (Pfizer/ARC2), and PR Week’s 40 Under 40. She holds a B.A. from California State University, Fullerton and Investor Relations Certification (IRC) from the University of California, Irvine.
Ms. Bechtold previously served as a key member of the Kite communications team in multiple roles, including Associate Director of Investor Relations and Associate Director of Product Communications. During her three years at Kite, Ms. Bechtold was pivotal in the implementation and development of a strategic investor relations program and was involved in a vast array of communications activities, including internal and external communications as well as media relations. Most recently, she supported the approval and launch of Yescarta™ (axicabtagene ciloleucel). With an extensive healthcare background, Ms. Bechtold’s prior experience includes roles of increasing responsibility at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
About UroGen Pharma Ltd.
UroGen Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ:URGN) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing advanced non-surgical treatments to address unmet needs in the field of urology, with a focus on uro-oncology. The Company has developed RTGel™, a proprietary sustained release, hydrogel-based formulation for potentially improving therapeutic profiles of existing drugs. UroGen Pharma's sustained release technology is designed to enable longer exposure of the urinary tract tissue to medications, making local therapy a potentially more effective treatment option. UroGen Pharma's lead product candidates, MitoGel™ and VesiGel™, are designed to potentially remove tumors by non-surgical means and to treat several forms of non-muscle invasive urothelial cancer, including low-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma and bladder cancer. UroGen Pharma is headquartered in Ra’anana, Israel and maintains a corporate office in New York City.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including with respect to the clinical development and commercial prospects of the product candidates in UroGen Pharma’s pipeline, the scope and development of UroGen Pharma’s product candidate pipeline, and the ability of UroGen Pharma to become a leader in the field of uro-oncology, which statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to: the timing and success of clinical trials and potential complications thereof; the ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval; the labeling for any approved product; the scope, progress and expansion of developing and commercializing UroGen Pharma’s product candidates; the size and growth of the market(s) therefor and the rate and degree of market acceptance thereof vis-à-vis alternative therapies; and UroGen Pharma’s ability to attract or retain key management and personnel. In light of these risks and uncertainties, and other risks and uncertainties that are described in the Risk Factors section of the final prospectus for UroGen Pharma’s initial public offering of securities in the United States filed with the SEC on May 5, 2017 and other filings that UroGen Pharma makes with the SEC from time to time (which are available at http://www.sec.gov), the events and circumstances discussed in such forward-looking statements may not occur, and UroGen Pharma’s actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied thereby. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to UroGen Pharma as of the date of this release.
UROGEN CONTACTS:
Christine Cassiano
Corporate Affairs Officer
ChristineC@urogen.com
714-552-0326
Or
Kate Bechtold
Director, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
KateB@urogen.com
914-552-0456