NEW YORK — atai Life Sciences (“atai” or the “Company”), a global biotech company developing psychedelic and non-psychedelic compounds for various mental health indications, has announced the appointment of Greg Weaver as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Rolando Gutierrez-Esteinou as Chief Medical Officer (CMO).
Mr. Weaver joins atai with extensive experience in finance, having held numerous executive positions in the field of biotechnology. Greg’s career has focused on start-up through clinical development and commercial stage. He has guided over $1.1 billion in financing transactions during his career, participated in several public and private financings, providing financial guidance, strategic leadership and shareholder value. Prior to joining atai, Mr. Weaver was CFO at several successful companies, including SIRNA Therapeutics, ILEX Oncology, Oryzon, Prometic, and Eloxx Pharmaceuticals.
“Greg brings a wealth of experience with a proven track record in complex financial organizations, where he was responsible for a number of companies’ successful public offerings,” said atai CEO and Co-Founder Florian Brand. “As we continue to grow and evolve, Greg’s deep financial expertise and knowledge will be invaluable.”
Mr. Weaver holds a BS in accounting and finance from Trinity University and an MBA from Boston College’s Wallace E. Carroll Graduate School of Management.
“I am thrilled to join atai at this very exciting time, and to have the opportunity to serve with this exceptional team,” said Mr. Weaver. “It is clear that atai has a unique and compelling culture of innovation, empathy, and making a significant impact on behalf of mental health patients. I look forward to driving our shared vision of leaving no patient behind.”
Dr. Gutierrez-Esteinou is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive in neuroscience drug development and commercialization. Having become a psychiatrist some 30 years ago, Rolando was around during the breakthroughs of serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and atypical antipsychotics, some of which he helped develop.
During this time, he has held executive positions at world-renowned companies including Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, BMS, Takeda and Marinus in clinical development, project management, medical affairs and pharmacovigilance.
“Rolando’s three decades of experience in the neuroscience space and his true understanding of the potential of these compounds speaks directly to our values at atai,” said Dr. Srinivas Rao, atai Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer. “His depth of knowledge and experience in CNS drug development will contribute greatly in our efforts to move our portfolio forward.”
Dr. Gutierrez-Esteinou received his MD from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, and did his subsequent residency in the department of psychiatry as well as his fellowship in the department of neurochemistry at Harvard Medical School. Additionally, he completed his fellowship in experimental therapeutics at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
“I am very excited to join atai at a time when the development of psychedelics is progressing into later stages of clinical testing in multiple psychiatric conditions of high unmet need,” said Dr. Gutierrez-Esteinou. “The unique therapeutic effects of these investigational medicinal products will require innovation in the way studies are conceived, designed, implemented and analyzed so atai has assembled the team of specialists who can tackle these tasks.”
Dr. Gutierrez-Esteinou will be based in New Jersey and Mr. Weaver will be based in New York City.
About atai Life Sciences
atai is a biotechnology company founded in 2018 in response to the clear and growing unmet needs of mental health patients worldwide. atai is dedicated to acquiring, incubating and efficiently developing innovative therapeutics to treat depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health disorders. atai’s business model combines funding, technology, scientific and regulatory expertise with a focus on psychedelic therapy and other drugs with differentiated safety profiles and therapeutic potential. By pooling resources and best practices, atai aims to responsibly accelerate the development of new medicines across its business entities, seeking to effectively treat and ultimately heal mental health disorders. atai’s mission is to bridge the gap between what the mental healthcare system currently provides and what patients need. atai is headquartered in Berlin, with offices in New York and San Diego. For more information, please visit www.atai.life.