Leadership

Alex Kim, MA

Chief Executive Officer

Alex Kim joined Elevar Therapeutics in May of 2007. In December of 2007, he was elected to the Board of Directors and became CEO in 2019. Alex has 30 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry at MacroMed, Inc. (formerly Protherics, Plc, now BTG, Plc); Expression Genetics, Inc.; VivoRx, Inc. (Abraxis, acquired by Cellgene); and Theratech (now Watson Pharmaceuticals). Alex’s experience at these companies includes executive management, business development, product and technology licensing, strategic planning, fund raising and M&A activity. He has closed financing deals in Europe, Asia and the US.

Alex received his master’s degree in international business from Sophia University (Sang Ji) in Tokyo, Japan and Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a Minor in Economics from the University of Utah. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Co-D Therapeutics and Immunomic Therapeutics.

Kate McKinley, MBA

Chief Commercial Officer

Kate McKinley is Chief Commercial Officer and leads Elevar’s global commercial, business development, alliance management, and corporate communications organizations. She joined the company in 2019 and is a member of the Executive Team.

Kate has over 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 standout 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 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.

Mark S. Gelder, M.D.

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Mark Gelder joined Elevar in 2020 as vice president of medical affairs and within the same year was promoted to chief medical officer where he has been building and leading Elevar’s global medical organization, setting the strategy for development programs from clinical trials through regulatory filings, new product launches and lifecycle opportunities. In his role as chief medical officer, Mark oversees the Company’s clinical development, medical affairs, regulatory affairs, and preclinical teams.

Mark brings more than 35 years of clinical development, medical affairs and medical marketing experience including 17 years of global medical affairs experience leading therapeutic oncology programs for companies like Pfizer, Wyeth and Bayer, where he was involved in the approval and launch of several cancer therapeutics. Mark has led successful global trials, launch plans and Phase I-Phase IV studies for several emerging oncology organizations and has been instrumental in the approval and launch of numerous oncology products.

Mark earned his medical doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and completed his residency training internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology followed by a gynecologic oncology fellowship. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and has extensive clinical experience in both the academic and private practice settings.

Prior to joining the industry, he was an investigator in multiple clinical trials and has authored numerous scientific papers in the areas of women’s health and oncology.

Arlo McGinn, Ph.D.

Chief Scientific Officer

Arlo McGinn joined Elevar Therapeutics in 2015 and has been working in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries for over 15 years. Arlo has worked for both large Fortune 500 life science companies and small startup ventures including MacroMed (acquired by Protherics, PLC; now BTG). In addition to his work in life science technology, he gained significant business development experience through the Lassonde New Venture Development program at the University of Utah and venture capital experience through the University Venture Fund.

Arlo received his PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Utah and his BS in Chemistry from Brigham Young University.

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 President 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.