Ultragenyx Appoints Eric Olson as Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President

Rhea-AI Summary

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: RARE) has appointed Eric Olson as Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President, effective September 22, 2025. Olson succeeds Thomas Kassberg, who is retiring after 14 years with the company.

Olson brings nearly two decades of biopharma industry experience, having led or supported transactions worth over $15 billion. His previous roles include CBO at Stoke Therapeutics, VP of Business Development at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and leadership positions at Takeda and Genzyme Corporation. Notable deals include Stoke's partnership with Biogen and Alnylam's $2.8 billion collaboration with Roche.

In his new role, Olson will lead Ultragenyx's business development, corporate development, and alliance management functions, supporting the company's mission to develop therapies for untreated rare diseases.

Positive

• Appointment of highly experienced executive with proven track record in rare disease business development
• New CBO brings expertise from major deals totaling over $15 billion in transaction value
• Strategic continuation of leadership in rare disease pipeline development
• Previous experience includes successful partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies

Negative

• Departure of long-term CBO Thomas Kassberg could impact institutional knowledge
• Transition period may temporarily affect ongoing business development initiatives

NOVATO, Calif., Sept. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE) today announced the appointment of Eric Olson as chief business officer (CBO) and executive vice president effective September 22, 2025, following the planned retirement of Thomas Kassberg. Mr. Olson will be responsible for leading the company’s business development, corporate development and alliance management functions.

“We thank Tom for his 14 years of impactful contributions to Ultragenyx, including transformative business deals that helped build the largest clinical pipeline in rare disease; expanded our reach to patients with fatty acid oxidation diseases, X-linked hypophosphatemia, osteogenesis imperfecta, and Angelman syndrome; and supported our entry into gene therapy,” said Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer and president of Ultragenyx. “As we look ahead, Eric’s expertise leading business development and strategic partnering is ideally suited to support our mission to bring forward new therapies to address rare diseases that have never before been treated.”

Mr. Olson has nearly two decades of experience in the biopharma industry as a business development leader, where he has contributed to the advancement of multiple investigational therapies including extensive experience in rare diseases. He has led or supported more than $15 billion in both buy-side and sell-side aggregate transaction value. Before joining Ultragenyx, he served as CBO at Stoke Therapeutics, where he led all aspects of Stoke’s landmark ex-North America partnership with Biogen for zorevunersen. Prior to Stoke, Mr. Olson served as vice president, head of business development, at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, where his business development accomplishments included the $2.8 billion co-development and co-commercialization collaboration with Roche to develop zilebesiran, a novel siNRA for hypertension and the $2 billion strategic financing with Blackstone. Before that, he was vice president and head of Rare Disease and Immunology Global Business Development at Takeda as a result of Takeda’s acquisition of Shire plc. Earlier in his career, he held various business development, venture capital and strategy roles of increasing responsibility at Genzyme Corporation. Prior to joining industry, he was an investment banking analyst and associate, as well as a research assistant at the Yale University School of Medicine. Mr. Olson earned a B.A. in zoology from Connecticut College, an M.S. in cellular and molecular biology from New York University, and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

“Ultragenyx has an incredible reputation as a leader in the biopharma industry that solves scientific, development and commercial hurdles to accelerate innovation in rare diseases. I became a believer in the company's future while leading Genzyme's investment in its Series B financing and have followed its progress as it brought forward its four commercial therapies and built the most diverse pipeline in rare disease,” said Mr. Olson. “I look forward to working with Emil, the leadership team and the board as the company continues to make a profound impact on the lives of patients and families impacted by serious genetic diseases.”

About Ultragenyx
Ultragenyx is a biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing novel therapies to patients for the treatment of serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of approved medicines and treatment candidates aimed at addressing diseases with high unmet medical need and clear biology, for which there are typically no approved therapies treating the underlying disease.

The company is led by a management team experienced in the development and commercialization of rare disease therapeutics. Ultragenyx’s strategy is predicated upon time- and cost-efficient drug development, with the goal of delivering safe and effective therapies to patients with the utmost urgency.

For more information on Ultragenyx, please visit the company's website at: www.ultragenyx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements and Use of Digital Media
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements related to Ultragenyx's expectations and projections regarding its future operating results and financial performance, anticipated cost or expense reductions, the timing, progress and plans for its clinical programs and clinical studies, future regulatory interactions are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s clinical development programs, commercial success of its products and product candidates, continued collaboration with third parties, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty of clinical drug development and unpredictability and lengthy process for obtaining regulatory approvals, risks related to serious or undesirable side effects of our product candidates, the company’s ability to achieve its projected development goals in its expected timeframes, risks related to reliance on third party partners to conduct certain activities on the company’s behalf, our limited experience in generating revenue from product sales, risks related to product liability lawsuits, our dependence on Kyowa Kirin for the commercialization of Crysvita in certain major markets, including the U.S. and Canada, and for our commercial supply of Crysvita in those markets, fluctuations in buying or distribution patterns from distributors and specialty pharmacies, smaller than anticipated market opportunities for the company’s products and product candidates, manufacturing risks, our ability to successfully manage the expansion of our company, competition from other therapies or products, regulatory scrutiny of the company’s products and product candidates, the company’s limited experience as a company in operating its own manufacturing facility, market acceptance of our products, uncertainty related to insurance coverage and reimbursement, and other matters that could affect sufficiency of existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to fund operations, the company’s future operating results and financial performance, the timing of clinical trial activities and reporting results from same, and the availability or commercial potential of Ultragenyx’s products and drug candidate. Ultragenyx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Ultragenyx in general, see Ultragenyx's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 6, 2025, and its subsequent periodic reports filed with the SEC. 

In addition to its SEC filings, press releases and public conference calls, Ultragenyx uses its investor relations website and social media outlets to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors, and to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Financial and other information about Ultragenyx is routinely posted and is accessible on Ultragenyx’s Investor Relations website (https://ir.ultragenyx.com/) and LinkedIn website (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ultragenyx-pharmaceutical-inc-/).

Ultragenyx Contacts

Investors
Joshua Higa
ir@ultragenyx.com

Media
Jess Rowlands
media@ultragenyx.com

FAQ

Who is the new Chief Business Officer of Ultragenyx (NASDAQ: RARE)?

Eric Olson has been appointed as Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President of Ultragenyx, effective September 22, 2025.

What is Eric Olson's experience in the biotech industry?

Eric Olson has nearly two decades of experience in biopharma, having led transactions worth over $15 billion. He previously served as CBO at Stoke Therapeutics and held leadership positions at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Takeda, and Genzyme Corporation.

What will be Eric Olson's responsibilities at Ultragenyx?

As CBO and Executive VP, Olson will be responsible for leading Ultragenyx's business development, corporate development, and alliance management functions.

Who did Eric Olson replace at Ultragenyx?

Eric Olson replaced Thomas Kassberg, who retired after 14 years of service at Ultragenyx.

What are some of Eric Olson's notable business deals?

Notable deals include Stoke's partnership with Biogen for zorevunersen, Alnylam's $2.8 billion collaboration with Roche, and a $2 billion strategic financing with Blackstone.