On April 1, 2021 ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company, reported the appointment of health innovation expert and executive Linda Maxwell, M.D., MBA, as an independent member of the company’s board of directors (Press release, NantKwest, APR 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234577493]). The company also appointed CEO Richard Adcock to the board; he was named CEO of NantKwest in October and remains the CEO of the company after the merger of NantKwest with ImmunityBio in March. Both appointments are effective March 29, 2021.

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The nine-member ImmunityBio board is led by Founder and Executive Chairman Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D. The board includes two other recently appointed outside members, former CIA director John Brennan and retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, along with current board members Michael Blaszyk, Cheryl Cohen, Christobel Selecky, and Barry Simon, M.D.

"Linda’s background as a physician and surgeon combined with her extensive global healthcare industry and business experience will enable us to build on ImmunityBio’s strong foundation and help us take the company to the next level," said Soon-Shiong. "As a company working to bring novel therapeutic approaches to treating cancer and other serious conditions, we will benefit greatly from Linda’s insights on innovation."

The company also announced that two current directors—Fred Driscoll and John D. Thomas—will conclude their service on the board effective with the new appointments.

"We are grateful to Fred and John for their many years of service and the value they brought to our shareholders and employees," said Soon-Shiong. "During their tenure, we have expanded our pipeline and grown our portfolio of immunotherapy agents. Their contributions during that time were important to establishing this strong foundation and baseline for the growth we anticipate."

About Dr. Linda Maxwell

Dr. Maxwell is a medical educator, surgeon, and health technology entrepreneur and innovator. She has guided a wide variety of startup companies through clinical development capitalization and commercialization as Founder and Executive Director of the Biomedical Zone, Canada’s first and only hospital-embedded, physician-led business incubator for emerging health technology companies. Dr. Maxwell also managed a life sciences tech transfer portfolio at the University of Oxford and the UK national Health Service, executing patent strategy, spin-out company formation, and early stage capital raising. She has also served as a healthcare innovation expert in various Canadian federal, provincial, and local government entities, as a member of the Department Audit Committee and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as an advisor to the Canadian Medial Association and the Canadian Space Agency. Dr. Maxwell earned an A.B. with honors from Harvard University, an M.D. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the University of Oxford. She serves as an independent member of the Board of Directors of United Therapeutics, Inc.

"I’m honored to join the ImmunityBio board at such an important time of growth and opportunity for the company," she said. "I’m impressed with both the science and the leadership that I believe will take the company on an upward trajectory as it makes innovative contributions to medicine."