Climb Bio Names Adam Villa as SVP, Technical Operations and Ashley Jones as SVP, People & Workforce Strategy
Climb Bio (Nasdaq: CLYM) announced two senior hires on Oct 21, 2025: Adam Villa as SVP, Technical Operations and Ashley Jones as SVP, People & Workforce Strategy. The appointments aim to support execution of clinical development for budoprutug and CLYM116 and to improve operational and workforce capabilities.
Climb Bio granted inducement equity awards on Oct 20, 2025: non-statutory stock options to acquire an aggregate of 360,000 shares, exercise price $2.32 (Nasdaq close on Oct 20, 2025), ten-year term, vesting over four years (25% after one year, then monthly over 36 months).
- Adds SVP-level technical operations leadership with CMC experience
- Adds SVP-level people leader with ~20 years biotech HR experience
- Inducement awards align new hires to multi-year retention
- Aggregate 360,000 option shares could dilute shareholders if exercised
- Options priced at $2.32 create future expense and potential dilution
WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Climb Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLYM), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics for immune-mediated diseases, today announced that it has strengthened its leadership team with the appointments of Adam Villa as Senior Vice President, Technical Operations, and Ashley Jones as Senior Vice President, People & Workforce Strategy.
“We are thrilled to welcome Adam and Ashley to the Climb Bio leadership team,” said Aoife Brennan, M.B., Ch.B., President and Chief Executive Officer of Climb Bio. “Their addition comes at an important time in our company’s growth as we execute our clinical development plans and continue to drive overall operational efficiency and excellence. Adam brings more than two decades of experience in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing, including deep expertise in leading end-to-end technical operations and scaling clinical production. Ashley has a proven record of building high-performing, mission-driven organizations and fostering cultures of collaboration and accountability. Together, their skills and experience will be invaluable as we advance our budoprutug and CLYM116 programs and continue to strengthen Climb Bio in support of patients with immune-mediated diseases.”
Adam Villa is an accomplished biopharmaceutical operations executive with experience spanning technical development, chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) strategy, and global supply management. He previously served as Vice President, CMC at Generation Bio, where he led process and analytical development, technical operations, and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) supply initiatives. Earlier, Adam held leadership roles at CRISPR Therapeutics and Biogen, overseeing clinical supply, manufacturing strategy, and operational excellence across multiple therapeutic areas and development stages. He has also held engineering and operations roles at Genzyme, Wyeth Biopharma, and Amgen. Adam received an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT School of Engineering. He earned a BE in Chemical Engineering and an AB in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.
Ashley Jones is a seasoned people and culture leader with nearly 20 years of experience supporting executive teams and building organizations in the biotechnology sector. Previously, she founded and led Cultivate Co., a consulting practice providing fractional human resources support to emerging private and public biotechnology companies. Earlier, Ashley led people and operations functions at Ananke Therapeutics, Imara, and SQZ Biotechnologies, and performed various human resources roles of increasing responsibility at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management from Northeastern University and a BA in English and psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University.
In connection with the appointments, Climb Bio granted an inducement equity award to each new employee, pursuant to Climb Bio’s 2025 Inducement Plan, as an inducement material to each such employee’s acceptance of employment with Climb Bio in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The inducement equity awards were granted on October 20, 2025, and consisted of non-statutory stock options to purchase up to an aggregate of 360,000 shares of common stock. The options have an exercise price of
About Climb Bio, Inc.
Climb Bio, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics for patients with immune-mediated diseases. The Company’s pipeline includes budoprutug, an anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody that has demonstrated B-cell depletion and has potential to treat a broad range of B-cell mediated diseases, and CLYM116, an anti-APRIL monoclonal antibody being developed for IgA nephropathy. For more information, please visit climbbio.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including without limitation statements regarding: future expectations, plans and prospects for Climb Bio; expectations regarding the therapeutic benefits, clinical potential and clinical development of budoprutug and CLYM116; expectations regarding the timing of submitting an investigational new drug application or clinical trial application submission for CLYM116; the anticipated timelines for initiating a clinical trial of CLYM116; the anticipated timelines for announcing data from Climb Bio’s ongoing and planned clinical trials; and other statements containing the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” “will,” “working” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. Climb Bio may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, important risks and uncertainties associated with: the ability of Climb Bio to timely and successfully achieve or recognize the anticipated benefits of its acquisition of Tenet Medicines, Inc. and its technology transfer and exclusive license agreement with Beijing Mabworks Biotech Co., Ltd.; Climb Bio’s ability to advance budoprutug and CLYM116 on the timelines expected or at all and to obtain and maintain necessary approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory authorities; obtaining and maintaining the necessary approvals from investigational review boards at clinical trial sites and independent data safety monitoring boards; replicating in clinical trials positive results found in early-stage clinical trials or nonclinical studies; competing successfully with other companies that are seeking to develop treatments for primary membranous nephropathy, immune thrombocytopenia, systemic lupus erythematosus, IgA nephropathy and other immune-mediated diseases; maintaining or protecting intellectual property rights related to budoprutug, CLYM116 and/or its other product candidates; managing expenses; changes in applicable laws or regulation; the possibility that Climb Bio may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; and raising the substantial additional capital needed, on the timeline necessary, to continue development of budoprutug, CLYM116 and any other product candidates Climb Bio may develop. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause Climb Bio’s actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the “Risk Factors” section, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors, in Climb Bio’s most recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Climb Bio’s views as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing Climb Bio’s views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. Climb Bio anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Climb Bio’s views to change. However, while Climb Bio may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Climb Bio specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law.
Investors and Media
Carlo Tanzi, Ph.D.
Kendall Investor Relations
ctanzi@kendallir.com
FAQ
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