Leadership

Kate McKinley, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

Kate McKinley was appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer in July 2021 and is a member of the Executive Team. She joined the company in 2019 as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) where she led Elevar’s global commercial, medical affairs, business development, manufacturing, supply chain, alliance management, and corporate communications organizations.

Kate has more than 20 years of experience in developing high-performing cultures and teams in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Elevar, she was the Head of Marketing, Training, and the Hospital Channel at Dendreon, responsible for the first FDA approved cell-based cancer immunotherapy. Prior to Dendreon, Kate was U.S. Head of Sales at AbbVie, leading the Oncology, Urology and Gynecology sales and field reimbursement organizations overseeing new product launch planning, rebranding initiatives, and market expansion strategies.

Kate has a superior record of achievement in creating and leading the vision and strategic partnerships that position organizations for transformation and commercial success within startup, rapid-growth, turnaround, and Fortune 100 environments. Throughout her career, Kate has held leadership roles with increasing responsibility in business development and alliance management, marketing, sales, market access, training, and medical affairs across multiple therapeutic areas. She has a strong track record of executing commercial strategies in oncology, urology, gynecology, immunology, and cardiology in both mature and launch products.

Kate is a summa cum laude graduate of The University of Tulsa. She holds an MBA from the university’s Collins College of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with degrees in Marketing, Management and Psychology.

Maureen G. Conlan, M.D., F.A.C.P.

Chief Medical Officer

Maureen G. Conlan, M.D., F.A.C.P. joined Elevar Therapeutics as Chief Medical Officer and member of the executive leadership team in July 2021. Dr. Conlan brings over 20 years of clinical development experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including Radius Health, Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Inc., Baxter Healthcare Corporation, and OSI Pharmaceuticals, where she had roles of increasing responsibility directing and leading clinical development organizations and working with alliance partners and CROs. During her career, Dr. Conlan has contributed to nine regulatory approvals of various oncology and hematology compounds and has demonstrated success interacting with global regulatory agencies, investigators, and key opinion leaders.

Dr. Conlan earned a B.S. in Biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Before joining industry, she completed fellowships in Hematology and Oncology at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, respectively, and served as Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Texas Medical School.

Dong Gun Kim, J.D.

Chief Strategy Officer

Dong Gun “DG” Kim joined Elevar in 2020. He is a member of the Board of Directors and also serves as Chief Executive Officer of HLB.

Prior to joining Elevar, DG spent more than 30 years as a specialist in M&A, corporate finance and investment management. He began his career at the law firm of Latham & Watkins, where he spent seven years as a corporate finance and M&A attorney. He then worked for ten years on Wall Street as an M&A investment banker, including as head of telecom M&A for Deutsche Bank in New York, advising on $100 billion of transactions.

DG moved to Korea in 2005 to head up Eugene Asset Management’s alternative investment operations, raising and managing almost KRW ₩3 trillion (approximately U.S. $3 billion) of funding in private equity, distressed debt and other alternative investments. In 2012, he joined E-Land Group, a Korean conglomerate operating in fashion and retail, and served as Group CFO for three years. He then spent another three years as CFO and Deputy CIO of Allied Inventors Fund, a specialty private equity fund based in Seattle investing in IP assets with over $600 million under management.

DG has an A.B. in Physics from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.