Spark Therapeutics CEO and founder Jeff Marrazzo stepping down

Spark Therapeutics, fully integrated, commercial gene therapy company dedicated to challenging the inevitability of genetic disease that was acquired by Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX) in a $4.8 billion deal in 2020, today announced that Ron Philip, Spark’s chief operating officer, will succeed co-founder Jeffrey Marrazzo as chief executive. Mr Marrazzo, who co-founded the company in 2013, will step down on April 1.

“When I think about Spark’s future, I’ve long viewed Ron as the next person to take over at the helm – not only is he a steadfast leader, he’s been instrumental in developing Spark’s gene therapy pipeline and has a deep understanding of Spark’s unique culture,” said Mr Marrazzo.

“I am incredibly proud of what we’ve built at Spark: from my first meetings in 2011, when the company was merely an idea, to now as the gene therapy center of excellence at one of the largest healthcare companies in the world. I’ve had the remarkable privilege to be part of an incredible team and work on cutting-edge science that has the potential to change people’s lives. Under Ron’s leadership, I know that Spark is well-positioned to deliver on the full promise of gene therapy,” he added.