Nicolas G. Sitchon
Chief Executive Officer
Nicolas G. Sitchon, M.A., M.B.A. has served as Chairman of our board of directors and as our President and Chief Executive Officer since our founding in October 2010. From October 2008 to October 2010, Mr. Sitchon performed services in anticipation of incorporation of our company and related to the development of our lead product candidate, LorexysTM. From April 2006 to October 2008, Mr. Sitchon was Global Research & Development Controller at Bayer HealthCare Consumer Care, a division of Bayer AG. Prior to that time, Mr. Sitchon held positions in marketing, information technology, business intelligence and business planning in the cardiovascular and neuroscience franchises of the Pharmaceuticals division of Novartis Corporation. Mr. Sitchon received his M.A. in Medical Science from the Boston University School of Medicine and his M.B.A. from the Boston University School of Management. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Sitchon was selected to serve as a member of our Board of Directors because of his role in developing, and his extensive knowledge regarding, our product candidates; his experience as our executive officer; because of his proven ability to pursue the development of product candidates in an efficient manner using minimal capital; and because of his advanced degrees in science and business.
Robert E. Pyke, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Robert E. Pyke, M.D., Ph.D. has served as our Chief Medical Officer since April 2012 and as a member of our advisory board since October 2011. Dr. Pyke has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He has contributed to FDA approvals of multiple drugs developed by Parke-Davis, Bristol-Myers Squibb and The Upjohn Company. From April 1996 to June 2011, Dr. Pyke was Director of Clinical Research at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, where he led the flibanserin worldwide premenopausal HSDD clinical program for five years and produced more than 60 publications. Before Boehringer Ingelheim, Dr. Pyke worked with several large pharmaceutical companies, where he developed novel analgesics, anxiolytics, antidepressants, antipsychotics and treatments for benzodiazepine and cocaine dependence. He headed the CNS R&D Drug Safety unit at Bristol-Myers Squibb and the medical affairs safety unit at Upjohn. Dr. Pyke’s independent CRO performed research for Searle in connection with the FDA approval of Misoprostil to prevent peptic ulcers. Throughout his business career, Dr. Pyke has continued his clinical practice with the treatment of anxiety, depression and substance abuse. He is a member of the International Society for Sexual Medicine and the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health. Dr. Pyke received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, earned his M.D. at the University of Miami and completed his medical training in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan.
John F. Kaufmann, M.B.A.
Chief Financial Officer
John F. Kaufmann, M.B.A. has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2012. From March 2010 to April 2012, he was the Finance Manager with Laureate Education, Inc., a multinational higher education holding company, where he served as a member of the senior management team responsible for the oversight of three operating subsidiaries. From February 2009 to March 2010, Mr. Kaufmann provided services to various charitable organizations, including acting as a Trustee. From August 2004 to September 2008, Mr. Kaufmann served as a finance executive for Fidelity Investments Corp. where he was responsible for a $200 million budget. Mr. Kaufmann received his M.B.A. in Finance from Boston University and his B.A. in History from Dartmouth College.