Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc. Announces CEO Transition
Aspire Biopharma Holdings (NASDAQ:ASBP) announced significant leadership changes, with Chairman Kraig Higginson appointed as interim CEO effective July 24, 2025, following Michael C. Howe's resignation from both CEO position and Board membership.
The company also announced the immediate resignations of Board members Gary E. Stein and Barbara Sher. In a key appointment, Howard Doss, a seasoned financial executive with extensive experience at companies like PowerUp and Trade Health, has joined as Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee.
Higginson, who previously served as CEO for four years, expressed commitment to executing the company's strategy focused on its drug delivery platform technology.
Aspire Biopharma Holdings (NASDAQ:ASBP) ha annunciato importanti cambiamenti nella leadership, con il Presidente Kraig Higginson nominato CEO ad interim a partire dal 24 luglio 2025, in seguito alle dimissioni di Michael C. Howe sia dalla carica di CEO che dal Consiglio di Amministrazione.
L'azienda ha inoltre comunicato le dimissioni immediate dei membri del Consiglio Gary E. Stein e Barbara Sher. In una nomina chiave, Howard Doss, un dirigente finanziario esperto con una vasta esperienza in aziende come PowerUp e Trade Health, è entrato a far parte del Consiglio come Direttore e Presidente del Comitato di Revisione.
Higginson, che in precedenza ha ricoperto il ruolo di CEO per quattro anni, ha espresso il suo impegno nell'attuare la strategia aziendale incentrata sulla tecnologia della piattaforma per la somministrazione di farmaci.
Aspire Biopharma Holdings (NASDAQ:ASBP) anunció cambios significativos en su liderazgo, con el Presidente Kraig Higginson designado como CEO interino a partir del 24 de julio de 2025, tras la renuncia de Michael C. Howe tanto al cargo de CEO como a su membresía en la Junta Directiva.
La compañía también anunció la renuncia inmediata de los miembros de la Junta Gary E. Stein y Barbara Sher. En un nombramiento clave, Howard Doss, un ejecutivo financiero con amplia experiencia en empresas como PowerUp y Trade Health, se unió como Director y Presidente del Comité de Auditoría.
Higginson, quien anteriormente fue CEO durante cuatro años, expresó su compromiso de ejecutar la estrategia de la compañía centrada en la tecnología de su plataforma de administración de medicamentos.
Aspire Biopharma Holdings (NASDAQ:ASBP)는 중대한 경영진 변동을 발표하며, 2025년 7월 24일부터 Kraig Higginson 회장이 임시 CEO로 임명되었고, Michael C. Howe는 CEO 직위와 이사회 멤버십에서 모두 사임했습니다.
또한 회사는 이사회 멤버 Gary E. Stein과 Barbara Sher의 즉각적인 사임도 발표했습니다. 주요 임명으로, PowerUp과 Trade Health 등에서 풍부한 경험을 가진 재무 전문가 Howard Doss가 이사 및 감사위원회 위원장으로 합류했습니다.
이전에 4년간 CEO를 역임한 Higginson은 회사의 약물 전달 플랫폼 기술에 중점을 둔 전략 실행에 전념할 것을 밝혔습니다.
Aspire Biopharma Holdings (NASDAQ:ASBP) a annoncé d'importants changements au sein de sa direction, avec la nomination de Kraig Higginson, président, en tant que PDG par intérim à compter du 24 juillet 2025, suite à la démission de Michael C. Howe de ses fonctions de PDG et de membre du conseil d'administration.
L'entreprise a également annoncé la démission immédiate des membres du conseil Gary E. Stein et Barbara Sher. Dans une nomination clé, Howard Doss, un cadre financier expérimenté ayant travaillé dans des sociétés telles que PowerUp et Trade Health, a rejoint le conseil en tant que directeur et président du comité d'audit.
Higginson, qui a déjà été PDG pendant quatre ans, a exprimé son engagement à mettre en œuvre la stratégie de l'entreprise axée sur la technologie de sa plateforme de distribution de médicaments.
Aspire Biopharma Holdings (NASDAQ:ASBP) gab bedeutende Führungsänderungen bekannt, wobei der Vorsitzende Kraig Higginson ab dem 24. Juli 2025 zum interimistischen CEO ernannt wurde, nachdem Michael C. Howe sowohl von seiner CEO-Position als auch vom Vorstand zurückgetreten war.
Das Unternehmen kündigte außerdem den sofortigen Rücktritt der Vorstandsmitglieder Gary E. Stein und Barbara Sher an. In einer wichtigen Ernennung trat Howard Doss, ein erfahrener Finanzmanager mit umfassender Erfahrung bei Unternehmen wie PowerUp und Trade Health, als Direktor und Vorsitzender des Prüfungsausschusses bei.
Higginson, der zuvor vier Jahre lang CEO war, bekundete sein Engagement für die Umsetzung der Unternehmensstrategie, die sich auf die Technologie der Arzneimittelabgabeplattform konzentriert.
- Appointment of experienced former CEO Kraig Higginson as interim leader ensures continuity
- Addition of Howard Doss brings significant financial and public company expertise to the Board
- Leadership transition maintains focus on drug delivery platform development
- Sudden departure of CEO and two board members signals potential internal challenges
- Lack of permanent CEO creates uncertainty in leadership
- Multiple simultaneous leadership changes may temporarily disrupt operations
Insights
Leadership overhaul at Aspire Biopharma signals potential strategic shift as Chairman steps in as interim CEO amid multiple board departures.
Aspire Biopharma is undergoing a significant leadership reorganization with Michael Howe's departure as CEO and the appointment of Board Chairman Kraig Higginson as interim chief executive. This transition marks a notable shift as Higginson returns to a role he previously held for four years, suggesting the board may be seeking a return to previous strategic direction.
The concurrent resignation of two board directors (Gary Stein and Barbara Sher) alongside the CEO departure represents a substantial governance overhaul rather than a routine executive change. Such coordinated exits often indicate underlying strategic disagreements or performance concerns that weren't explicitly stated in the announcement.
The immediate appointment of Howard Doss as Director and Audit Committee Chairman brings specialized financial expertise to Aspire, particularly valuable given his extensive background in both accounting and investment firms. His experience with Nasdaq-traded companies and special purpose acquisition corporations (SPACs) suggests the board is prioritizing financial oversight during this transition period.
The press release's emphasis on "continuing to execute on maximizing the potential of Aspire's powerful and differentiated drug delivery platform" indicates the company intends to maintain its current technological focus despite the leadership changes. This statement appears designed to reassure stakeholders that despite the executive shuffling, Aspire's core business strategy regarding its supplement delivery technology remains intact.
Kraig Higginson, Current Chairman of the Board, Appointed Interim CEO
ESTERO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / July 30, 2025 / Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASBP) ("Aspire" or the "Company"), developer of a multi-faceted patent-pending supplement delivery technology, today announced that the Company's Board of Directors (Board) has appointed Kraig Higginson as interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 24, 2025. Mr. Higginson serves as Chairman of the Board and previously served as CEO of Aspire for four years. Michael C. Howe has resigned as CEO and as a member of the Board. The Board thanks Mr. Howe for his contributions to the Company and plans to initiate a search for a permanent CEO.
"On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Michael for his contributions to the Company and wish him the very best in the future," said Kraig Higginson, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Aspire. "I look forward to leading Aspire with the same level of commitment as if I were in the role permanently, with a goal of continuing to execute on maximizing the potential of Aspire's powerful and differentiated drug delivery platform. We are fortunate to have a capable leadership team, and we will continue to focus on positioning the business for long-term success."
The Company also announced the resignations of Mr. Gary E. Stein and Ms. Barbara Sher from the Board, effective immediately. The Aspire Board is very grateful for Mr. Steins's and Ms. Sher's outstanding service as members of the Board and for all of the thoughtful insights and valuable contributions they provided during their tenures.
In connection with this transition, the Board of Directors appointed Howard Doss, to serve as Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Company, effective immediately.
Mr. Doss, age 71, has served as the Chief Financial Officer of PowerUp from August 2023 until February 2025. He is a seasoned chief financial officer and accountant. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Kernel Group Holdings, Inc. In 2021, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Aesther Healthcare Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company until it consummated its initial business combination in February 2023. He has also served as chief financial officer of Trade Health, Inc., an online marketplace for health traded on Nasdaq under the symbol "SCNX." Mr. Doss has served in a variety of capacities with accounting and investment firms. He joined the staff of Seidman & Seidman (BDO Seidman, Dallas) in 1977 and in 1980 he joined the investment firm Van Kampen Investments, opening the firm's southeast office in Tampa, Florida in 1982. He remained with the firm until 1996 when he joined Franklin Templeton. After working for the Principal Financial Group office in Tampa, Florida, Mr. Doss was City Executive for U.S. Trust in Sarasota, Florida, responsible for high-net-worth individuals. He retired from that position in 2009. He served as CFO and Director for Sansur Renewable Energy, an alternative energy development company, from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Doss has also served as President of Staradio Corp. since 2005. Mr. Doss is a member of the America Institute of CPA's. He is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University.
About Aspire Biopharma, Inc.
Headquartered in Estero, Fl., Aspire Biopharma has developed a disruptive technology that can deliver supplements and drugs rapidly and precisely. For more information, please visit www.aspirebiolabs.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements made in this communication are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may generally be identified by the use of words such as "estimate," "projects," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "would," "should," "future," "propose," "potential," "target," "goal," "objective," "outlook" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this communication, and on the current expectations of Aspire's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the control of the parties, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.
Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc.
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SOURCE: Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc.
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
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