BLUEBIRD BIO - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Chief People Officer

I did runway modeling for Ebony Magazine in my early 20s and it taught me that beauty is much more than skin deep. Andrea Walton joined bluebird bio in 2022 as Chief People Officer. Andrea joins the nest with 20 years of experience in delivering innovative solutions for teams and organizations in career development, team building, leadership coaching and change management. She has a passion for developing people and helping them reach their greatest potential. Prior to bluebird, Andrea served in HR roles at Nestle, Target, and Coca-Cola, as well as e-learning service providers 2U and, most recently, Edmentum, where she served as Chief People & Culture Officer. Andrea received her GED at age 19 and followed that quickly with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a MBA in Business Administration, both from the University of Phoenix. A native of Pasadena, CA, Andrea now resides in the DC metro area and has two daughters and one son.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer
• President

Don't be so sure that's me in the pic - I have an identical twin! Andrew Obenshain is president and CEO of bluebird bio. A biotech business leader who is passionate about improving the lives of patients and their families, Andrew has dedicated his career to advancing therapies for rare diseases. He joined bluebird in 2016 as head of Europe and then served as President, Severe Genetic Diseases before being appointed to CEO in 2021. Today, Andrew is a champion for bluebird's lentiviral vector gene therapy platform, as the company prepares to launch three first-in-class therapies. Prior to bluebird bio, Andrew served as general manager of France and Benelux at Shire where he was responsible for a portfolio that included seven rare disease products. Andrew spent eight years at Genzyme and Sanofi and held roles in business development, marketing and global commercial operations in both the US and Europe. He began his career working with small biotech companies first as a consultant and then as a venture capital investor. He received his MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in 2004 and his B.A. in genetics, cell and developmental biology from Dartmouth College. Andrew Obenshain, who joined bluebird in 2016 as head of Europe, now serves as blue's Chief Executive Officer. Prior to his time at bluebird bio, he was at Shire in Paris, France where he was the general manager of France and Benelux overseeing a portfolio including seven rare disease products. Andrew also spent eight years at Genzyme and Sanofi holding roles of increasing responsibility in business development, marketing and global commercial operations, received his MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and his B.A. in genetics, cell and developmental biology from Dartmouth College.

Job Titles:

• Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Charlotte Jones-Burton, MD, MS is Senior Vice President, Product Development and Strategy at Chinook Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering, developing and commercializing precision medicines for rare, severe chronic kidney diseases. With more than 20 years of experience as a clinical development leader, internal medicine and nephrology physician and academician, Dr. Jones-Burton is dedicated to creating healthier communities through drug development, patient advocacy and people engagement. Dr. Jones-Burton earned a medical degree and Master of Science degree in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, with a concentration in Clinical Research, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Charlotte's postgraduate training included an internal medicine residency and a nephrology fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical Systems. Immediately prior to her current role at Chinook Therapeutics she was VP, Global Clinical Development Head, Nephrology at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. Dr. Jones-Burton is active in numerous professional associations and organizations and founded Women of Color in Pharma (WOCIP), a non-profit professional society focused on transforming the pharmaceutical landscape with women of color. In 2021, she was recognized as one of the industry's top 100 inspiring people by PharmaVoice and awarded the 1st ever Global Icon Award by WOCIP.

Job Titles:

• Chief Financial Officer

On the weekends I trade Teams calls for team management…baseball team management, for both of my sons. Chris Krawtschuk joined bluebird bio as chief financial officer in November 2022. He brings over 25 years of experience in finance, accounting, tax, strategy, business development, and capital allocation for commercial execution. Prior to bluebird, Chris was CFO of Jubilant Pharma, a global integrated pharmaceutical company and MorphoSys US, where he established the US-based finance and business operations team. Chris also served as VP, Lead Divisional Controller for Pfizer Inc., where he was responsible for accounting advisory and financial reporting support to all global businesses and support functions. Chris began his financial career at PwC, where he was a Managing Director in the Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory Practice and spent 15 years advising clients on a range of financial needs including accounting and financial reporting related to acquisitions, divestitures, initial public offerings, capital markets transactions, and complex accounting and reporting issues, including strategic alliances and research and development financing. Chris received his BS in Accounting from William Paterson University and is a licensed as a CPA.

Job Titles:

• Investor Contacts

Job Titles:

• Head of Corporate Communications
• Media Contacts

Job Titles:

• Chief Business and Legal Officer

I love to cook (and eat, unfortunately)! From Italian (my parents are immigrants) to Persian (my in-laws) food, I find spending time in the kitchen is both relaxing and fun. (My boys also love to cook so it's great family time). Joe Vittiglio has more than two decades of experience advancing the business and legal interests of public and private life sciences companies, with expertise in licensing, collaborations and mergers and acquisitions, financial transactions, FDA regulations, compliance, manufacturing and quality operations for organizations at all stages of development. He previously served as Chief Business and Legal Officer at Finch Therapeutics, where he guided the company's initial public offering in 2021, raising $130.8 million in capital, and led the company's legal, business development and quality teams. Prior to joining Finch in 2020, Joe was the General Counsel and Chief Business Officer for AMAG Pharmaceuticals, where he led the company's legal and business development initiatives, including oversight of the successful sale of the company to private equity investors, multiple out-licensing and partnership collaborations; and multiple therapeutic product launches. Prior to AMAG, Joe held leadership roles at Flexion Therapeutics, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, and Oscient Pharmaceuticals Corporation. He began his career as a corporate associate at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC where he represented public biotechnology and technology companies in numerous areas, including securities, M&A and healthcare licensing collaborations. He currently serves on the American Cancer Society's Eastern New England Board of Directors and is on the Board of Advisors for Life Science Cares. Joe has a BA in international relations from Tufts University and a JD from Northeastern University School of Law.

Job Titles:

• Audit Committee

John Agwunobi is the former chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Herbalife Nutrition, a premier global nutrition company that serves customers in 94 countries. Agwunobi joined Herbalife Nutrition in 2016 as its chief health and nutrition officer. In March 2020 he was appointed chief executive officer, where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company's growth, with a keen focus on initiatives that can positively impact issues affecting global society, including overweight and obesity, healthy aging, and a business opportunity. During his tenure, Agwunobi worked closely with Herbalife Nutrition independent distributors and customers, to ensure continuous innovation in the areas of product development, technology, marketing and distributor sales. He also led the Herbalife Nutrition Institute, the Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board, and the Herbalife Dietetic Advisory Board and worked with the company's Ph.D.s and scientists to integrate nutrition science into Herbalife Nutrition products. Prior to joining Herbalife, Agwunobi served as senior vice president and president of health and wellness for the world's largest retailer, Walmart, where he led a team of over 65,000 and grew the business from $25 billion to over $30 billion. In the public sector, Agwunobi served as Florida's secretary of health and later as an admiral in the U.S. Public Health Services Commissioned Corps and the assistant secretary of health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In these roles, he was responsible for disease prevention and health promotion. He oversaw the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the office of the U.S. Surgeon General, and numerous other public health offices and programs. Agwunobi has a broad educational background that includes a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University and a master's degree in business administration from Georgetown University. He completed his pediatric residency at Howard University and is currently a licensed physician in Florida. In addition to the Board of Directors for bluebird bio, Agwunobi also serves on the Board of the Ensign Group, Inc. and the Board of the U.S. African Development Foundation.

Job Titles:

• Senior Vice President, Technical Development and Operations

I'm fluent in two languages and I still can't think of what to say… Kasra Kasraian brings over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to bluebird bio, Kasra led the Technical Operation, Quality, and Regulatory CMC function at Zafgen. Before Zafgen, he held scientific and leadership roles at Genetics Institute, Pfizer, Wyeth, and Biogen in the areas of formulation development, process development, technical services, manufacturing, and CMC management encompassing both early phase development through commercialization for both small molecules and biologics. During his tenure at Biogen the CMC team he led guided the submission and approval of 4 BLAs/MAAs. As the Head of Technical Development & Operations at bluebird bio, Kasra oversees process development, analytical development, manufacturing sciences, manufacturing, patient operations, and supply chain.

Job Titles:

• Vice President, Head of Regulatory Science

Leslie Wilder, Vice President, Head of Regulatory Science, joined bluebird bio in 2018 as lead of the Regulatory Science CMC team. In 2022, she stepped in to lead the Regulatory Science organization with a focus on bringing treatment options to severe genetic patients and their families. Prior to joining bluebird, Leslie held regulatory positions at Alexion, Synageva, and Genzyme. While at Genzyme, Leslie was a founding member of the Molecule Steward Team, where she provided technical oversight for post-approval lifecycle management of an enzyme replacement protein, an experience that she considers her MSAT sabbatical. Leslie is a graduate of Union College, from which she holds BS, MS degrees in Biology with extensive coursework in Chemistry.

Job Titles:

• Audit Committee / Compensation Committee
• Chief Financial Officer & Chief Business Officer at Atsena Therapeutics

Dr. Leiderman has more than 15 years of expertise in business development, strategy, and finance in the life sciences industry. Before joining Atsena, she was Chief Financial Officer and Head of Corporate Development, Decibel Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel gene therapeutics for restoration of hearing loss and balance disorders. Prior, she served as Chief Business Officer for Complexa, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on life-threatening fibrosis and inflammatory diseases and Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Development at Fortress Biotech, where she was responsible for key business growth initiatives, including business development, strategy, financial analysis and capital raising. Dr. Leiderman spent 10 years as a healthcare investment banker advising global corporate clients and their boards. Her significant transaction experience includes mergers and acquisitions, other strategic transactions, initial public offerings, and other equity and debt financings in the healthcare sector. She began her career in medical affairs at AstraZeneca in their neuroscience division. Dr. Leiderman earned an M.D. from the American Medical Program Tel Aviv University, an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from The University of Pennsylvania.

Job Titles:

• Chairman
• Audit Committee / Compensation Committee
• Member of Our Board of Directors

Mark Vachon has served as a member of our board of directors since July 2014. Mr. Vachon served as an executive vice president sales, integration and operations at Change Healthcare Holdings, Inc. from November 2016 to April 2018. For over 30 years, Mr. Vachon held a variety of leadership positions across the General Electric organization, and was a company officer beginning in 1999 and a member of GE's Corporate Executive Council. Mr. Vachon was president and chief executive officer of GE Healthcare Americas from 2009 and 2010, and prior to that he was president and chief executive officer of Global Diagnostics Imaging, GE Healthcare, between 2006 and 2009. Between 2003 and 2006, Mr. Vachon was executive vice president and chief financial officer of GE Healthcare. Mr. Vachon serves on the boards of Panoramic Health, Beacon Mobility, Klockner Pentaplast and the Clergy Trust of Boston. Mr. Vachon holds a B.S. in Finance from Northeastern University and an M.A. from Boston College.

Job Titles:

• Global Chief Marketing Officer for Logitech

Najoh Tita-Reid is Global Chief Marketing Officer for Logitech, a global manufacturer of computer peripherals, software, and services with headquarters in Switzerland and California. In her role, Ms. Tita-Reid is leading the transformation of the global marketing function and spearheading a strategic, digital-first, and data-driven consumer and customer omnichannel experience. A multi-faceted executive with global marketing expertise, she has a record of strategic and operational ingenuity and transformation across complex organizations and a breadth of experience across the US and Europe.

Job Titles:

• Chief
• Officer

Nick Leschly is currently Chief Kairos Officer of 2seventy. Formerly, Nick was chief bluebird at bluebird bio as well as a partner and founding member of Third Rock Ventures in 2007. Nick played an integral role in the overall formation, development and business strategy of several of Third Rock's portfolio companies, including Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Edimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to joining Third Rock, he worked at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, leading several early-stage drug development programs and served as the product leader for VELCADE. Nick also founded and served as chief executive officer of MedXtend Corporation. He received his B.S. in molecular biology from Princeton University and his MBA from Wharton Business School. He currently serves as a board member of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and Synlogic Therapeutics.

Job Titles:

• Chief Medical Officer

You can tell I'm an Infectious Diseases Doc as I love camping in Southern Africa where you can observe the really big picture of biology! Richard Colvin, MD, PhD, has served as chief medical officer of bluebird since March 2021. Rich joined bluebird in 2018 as medical lead of the thalassemia program and led clinical research and development prior to becoming chief medical officer. During Rich's tenure, bluebird submitted and gained FDA approval for the gene therapies beti-cel for patients with beta-thalassemia and eli-cel for the treatment of patients with cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, and bluebird has completed its submission of the BLA for lovo-cel, a gene therapy for the treatment of patients with sickle cell disease. Prior to bluebird, Rich was an executive director in translational medicine at Novartis where he led anti-infective drug development programs for the treatment of patients with hepatitis, respiratory infections, resistant Gram-negative infections, and parasitic infections. Additionally, he led a gene therapy program to treat patients with hearing loss. Rich completed his clinical and research fellowships in the Mass General Brigham Infectious Diseases Program, and completed his internship and residency at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Rich is on faculty at Harvard Medical School and sees patients in the Infectious Diseases clinic at MGH Chelsea. Rich received his MD and PhD from Duke University School of Medicine and his BS from Cornell University.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer
• President
• President and Chief Executive Officer at Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc

Mr. Paulson is President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Karyopharm Therapeutics, a commercial stage pharmaceutical company that leverages the inhibition of nuclear export as a mechanism to treat patients with cancer. He was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Ipsen North America, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on innovation and specialty care in areas of oncology, neuroscience and rare diseases. Mr. Paulson previously worked at Amgen for 10 years holding varying leadership positions across Europe and North America, including Vice President and General Manager of Amgen's U.S. Oncology Business Unit, and prior to that served as the Vice President of Marketing for Amgen's U.S. Oncology Business, General Manager of Amgen Germany, and General Manager of Amgen Central & Eastern Europe. Prior to Amgen, Mr. Paulson held a number of global leadership positions at Pfizer Inc., including serving as General Manager of Pfizer South Africa and Pfizer Czech Republic. Mr. Paulson also previously held a variety of sales, marketing, and market access roles at GlaxoWellcome in Canada. Mr. Paulson has an MBA from the University of Toronto, Canada and an undergraduate degree in commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Job Titles:

• Chief Communications Officer and Was Appointed SVP
• Senior Vice President, External Affairs

I'm a Girl Scout leader and a Comms leader, so I live by the motto "be prepared"! Sarah Alspach joined the flock in September 2021 as Chief Communications Officer and was appointed SVP, External Affairs in December 2022. In this role, Sarah is responsible for driving bluebird's external engagement - including corporate communications, investor relations, patient advocacy, government affairs and alliance development -- as we pursue curative gene therapies and bring more bluebird days to patients and their families. Prior to joining bluebird, Sarah served as Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the world's leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. She also spent more than a decade at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) where she was Vice President for U.S. Pharma and Corporate Communications, with responsibility for communications, corporate brand and reputation, and philanthropic giving in the US. Sarah holds a B.S. in public relations from the University of Texas at Austin and lives outside of Washington, DC with her husband and three children.

Job Titles:

• Senior Vice President and Head of Quality

I'm very in to sports but geographically confused: I'm a big fan of the Washington Football Team, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Red Sox. Scott Shoemaker is Senior Vice President and Head of Quality for bluebird bio. Scott has been with bluebird bio since 2017 where he has held leadership positions in manufacturing and quality. Prior to joining bluebird Scott held leadership positions in development, technical operations, and manufacturing with both Merck and Takeda, focusing mainly on live virus vaccine products. Scott is a chemical engineer by training with a B.S. from Drexel University and PhD from Princeton.

Job Titles:

• Chief Commercial & Operating Officer

My family often gets called the Brady Bunch, I'm part of a blended family with 8 kids! Tom, who joined the flock in May of 2021 as our Chief Commercial Officer, has deep passion for patients and experience across multiple commercial roles in both rare diseases and oncology. Most recently, Tom served as Chief Commercial Officer at Gamida Cell, leading a high-growth, fast paced oncology cell therapy organization and establishing a culture of transparency, trust and empowerment. Prior to his tenure at Gamida Cell, Tom served in a variety of leadership roles at Atara Biotherapeutics, Navidea Biopharmaceuticals and Algeta U.S. where he led the successful commercial build-out and launch of Xofigo®. Before Algeta, he held various commercial leadership positions at Dendreon. Tom began his pharmaceutical career at Eli Lilly where he held several positions of increasing responsibility and participated in the global launch of Cymbalta®. Tom earned a B.A. in Business Administration and Marketing from Western State College.