Late-stage biopharmaceutical company Arcutis Biotherapeutics in late March started bolstering its executive team, announcing a new chief financial officer, vice president of sales and field medical affairs director.Biotech veteran John Smither officially retired as Arcutis’s chief financial officer on April 1, replaced by Scott Burrows, formerly vice president of finance for the Westlake Village company.Smither will continue to serve as an advisor for Arcutis. He served as its chief financial officer for two years, taking the company through its initial public offering in January of last year.“As our first CFO, John has been an invaluable partner to me in building Arcutis into one of the pre-eminent medical dermatology companies,” Frank Watanabe, chief executive of Arcutis, said in a statement. “He played a central role in our successful IPO as well as two successful follow-on financings, leaving us well-capitalized and able to invest in the commercialization of topical roflumilast while continuing to progress our deep pipeline. While we will miss working with him daily, we are thrilled that he has agreed to stay on as an advisor, and I wish John all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”Burrows brings nearly 20 years of financial experience in the biopharma industry, including investor relations roles at nearby Amgen Inc. and Swiss biotech company Shire, before it was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.Corey Padovano was brought on as vice president of sales, the company said, to recruit and lead Arcutis’ sales management and teams in anticipation of its psoriasis cream launch.Currently, the topical cream is in Phase 3 clinical trials for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis treatment.Dr. Sean Brugger, director of field medical affairs, has more than 16 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry too, working with inflammatory disorders of the joints and skin.“The unique depth of expertise across Arcutis’ leadership team is a core element of our corporate strategy,” Watanabe said. “The appointments of Corey and Sean will be critical in driving the next phase of growth.”
