Boston, USA and London, UK, August 29, 2018 / B3C newswire / -- Orchard Therapeutics, a leading commercial-stage company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare diseases through innovative gene therapies, today announced two additions to its ex­­­ecutive leadership team, appointing Kathryn (Katie) Payne as senior vice president, global head of corporate communications and external affairs, and John Cerio as senior vice president, global head of human resources. Ms. Payne and Mr. Cerio will report to Mark Rothera, president and CEO of Orchard.

"I am delighted to welcome Katie and John to Orchard’s executive leadership team, bringing an impressive wealth of experience in their respective fields," said Mark Rothera. "Katie is a proven communications leader who comes to us with an extensive portfolio of success in global corporate communications, brand building, public affairs and patient advocacy. John has a strong record of executive leadership in the life sciences space and is adept at translating corporate strategy into an effective workforce and organizational plan. We look forward to Katie and John applying their deep expertise as we shape our business for future growth with an unrelenting commitment to enhancing the lives of patients living with rare disease."

Katie Payne joins Orchard from AMAG Pharmaceuticals, where she served as senior vice president of corporate affairs, directing the company’s communications, government relations and advocacy activities. During her time at AMAG, Ms. Payne led the internal and external communications strategy for six significant corporate and business development transactions and played a key role in the company’s efforts to collaborate with healthcare experts and advocacy groups to advance public health. Her expertise includes stakeholder engagement, issues and crisis management, media relations and corporate identity. Prior to AMAG, Ms. Payne spent a decade at APCO Worldwide where she developed and implemented U.S. and global communications programs for a wide variety of companies and organizations in the healthcare industry. In her role at Orchard, Ms. Payne will be responsible for leading the global corporate communications and external affairs function, spanning internal and external communications, investor relations, patient advocacy and government relations. Ms. Payne graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with high honors from The Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing and business management and a master’s degree in communications. She currently serves as a member of the MassBio Board of Directors and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Boston-Manchester March of Dimes chapter.

"I am excited to be joining a team that is so deeply committed to transforming the lives of patients and their families," said Ms. Payne. "The opportunity to tell Orchard’s story and advance understanding of the company’s innovative approach to gene therapy among a variety of corporate stakeholders compelled me to join Orchard’s dedicated employees and its network of collaborators in this important mission."

John Cerio brings over 25 years of human resources leadership experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, building high-growth, high-performance, mission-driven and entrepreneurial companies. His expertise includes talent acquisition, leadership and organizational development, human resources planning and mergers and acquisitions. Until recently, Mr. Cerio served as vice president of human resources and administration for Agenus, where he led the human resources and real-estate functions through periods of rapid growth, transformation and global expansion, including the integration of strategic acquisitions in research and technical operations. Prior to Agenus, he was vice president of global human resources for PerkinElmer Life Sciences division, which included their pre-natal and neo-natal genetic screening business. Previously, John spent nearly a decade with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in roles of increasing responsibility and leadership, including director of organizational development for US Medicines and head of human resources for the oncology and immunology division. Mr. Cerio holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a Master of Arts in organizational psychology from Columbia University.

"I am thrilled to join the Orchard team at this exciting time in the company’s evolution," said Mr. Cerio. "I look forward to partnering with Mark and my many talented colleagues across Orchard to facilitate continued organizational growth in support of the company’s mission and values-based culture."

About Orchard
Orchard Therapeutics is a fully integrated commercial-stage biotechnology company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with serious and life-threatening rare diseases through innovative gene therapies.

Orchard’s portfolio of autologous ex vivo gene therapies includes Strimvelis, the first autologous ex vivo gene therapy approved by the European Medicines Agency for adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID). Additional programs for primary immune deficiencies, neurometabolic disorders and hemoglobinopathies include three advanced registrational studies for ADA-SCID, metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), clinical programs for X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) and transfusion dependent beta-thalassemia (TDBT), as well as an extensive preclinical pipeline.

Orchard currently has offices in the U.K. and the U.S., including London, San Francisco and Boston.