Kite Pharma expands its leadership team with two new appointments

Autologous T-cell therapy product specialist Kite Pharma (Nasdaq: KITE) has appointed Salah Kivlighn as vice president of marketing and Anthony Polverino as vice president of research.

Cynthia Butitta, chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Kite, said: "We are delighted to welcome Salah and Tony, two accomplished industry professionals, to the Kite team. These additions reflect our ability to attract successful and seasoned executives based on the progress of our programs. The expansion of our senior management team will support our initiatives to pioneer the development of innovative cancer immunotherapy products."

Dr Kivlighn has worked in the pharma and biotech industry for more than 25 years, most recently as global product development team leader at Medimmune, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN). He began his career at pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK), assuming roles of increasing responsibility for global marketing activities.