Press Releases Amarantus Appoints Barney Monte
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Amarantus Appoints Barney Monte as Interim COO/CFO and Promotes Brian Harvey to Chief Regulatory Advisor
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APRIL 05, 2018
NEW YORK, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Via OTC PR Wire – Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. (OTC Pink:AMBS) (the "Company" or AMBS), a US-based JLABS-alumnus biotechnology holding company, developing first-in-class orphan neurologic, regenerative medicine and ophthalmic therapies through its subsidiaries, today announced the appointment of Barney Monte as interim Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Monte brings over 20 years of capital markets experience to Amarantus, including 15+ year in investment banking and is being brought into Amarantus to assist in completing the Company's restructuring plan and concurrent capital raise via regulations created under JOBS Act. Concurrently, the Company promoted Brian E. Harvey, MD, PhD to the role of Chief Regulatory Advisor, assisting the Company's subsidiaries in updating their regulatory strategy in preparation for launching the next phase of their respective clinical development programs. Dr. Harvey brings over 30 years of biopharmaceutical experience to Amarantus, including over 11 years at the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
"I believe Amarantus represents a tremendous opportunity provided the Company can navigate the completion of its restructuring process and related capital raise," said Barney Monte, Interim-COO/CFO of Amarantus. "The assets that underpin the Company's subsidiaries have significant potential to improve or replace the standard of care in compelling therapeutic areas, with limited or no competition on the market. I believe the value inherent in the subsidiaries will drive Amarantus' value and ability to complete its restructuring and capital raising efforts."
Mr. Monte has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry where he has held senior level positions within investment banking and private equity. Mr. Monte co-founded Ozado Partners LLC, a direct investment and merchant banking business, where he was responsible for sourcing, structuring and negotiating investment opportunities across various industries, including the acquisition of an ~80 megawatt natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant and cogeneration facility. Prior to co-founding Ozado Partners, Mr. Monte's senior-level investment banking positions included head of International and Asia investment banking for a middle market focused U.S. based broker-dealer. Over his tenure, Mr. Monte has acted as a principal and agent in assisting companies raise private capital, IPOs, secondary offerings, debt offerings and M&A advisory services where he has invested, raised or advised on over $10.0 billion worth of transactions. Mr. Monte graduated from Skidmore College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
"Having been involved in many development programs while at the agency, as well as the Biopharmaceutical industry, I believe that the Amarantus portfolio is impressive, especially given that each therapeutic asset has received orphan drug designations from FDA," said Brian E. Harvey, MD, PhD. "I am looking forward to helping guide the regulatory strategy of each subsidiary, so that as new medical and management teams are brought in to drive development forward, they have a sound regulatory strategy upon which to build."
Dr. Harvey recently served as Vice President of U.S Regulatory Strategy at Pfizer, where he led U.S. FDA regulatory interactions across all Pfizer business units and was a member of the CEO's Senior Leadership Council (SLC). He led the Pfizer efforts on the PhRMA Regulatory Affairs Coordinating Committee (RACC). In addition, he was responsible for supervisory oversight of U.S. Regulatory Policy & Intelligence functions and the U.S. Advertising & Promotion activities. He played an early role in PDUFA VI Preparation, the PhRMA Steering Committee and the 21st Century Cures initiatives.
Prior to his time at Pfizer, Dr. Harvey served as Vice President of Regulatory Policy at Sanofi, where he was the head Liaison with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), served on the International Biologics and Biotechnology Taskforce and Biologics Key Issues Team, was on the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Regulatory Affairs Committee (RAC). He was the Signatory authority for Sanofi written comments to the FDA docket and was a Member of the Sanofi Policy Development Committee.
Prior to Sanofi, Dr. Harvey spent 11 years with FDA in increasing positions of responsibility across the organization including Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). From 2000 to 2001, Dr. Harvey served as an American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellow on behalf of FDA. Dr. Harvey received his PhD, then MD from the University of Connecticut.
His Internal Medicine Internship and Residency at Beth Israel Hospital/Harvard was followed by a 3-year Gastroenterology/Hepatology Fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital prior to joining FDA.