Management Team and Consultants

Alex is Epirium’s Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the board of directors. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Operating/Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. Alex has broad operational and financial expertise, with more than 25 years of experience as a successful healthcare executive and institutional investor. Before joining Epirium, Alex was the founder, Chief Executive Officer, and portfolio manager of Reneo Capital Management LP, a successful healthcare investment fund. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Sophiris Bio, Inc. and Vice President of Finance for Amylin Pharmaceuticals.

Alex was a founder and senior advisor at Casdin Advisors, LLC, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager at Cooper Hill Partners, LLC, a healthcare investment fund, and portfolio manager of Pequot Capital Management’s healthcare fund. Earlier, he worked at the Dreyfus Corporation as a senior managing analyst covering pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical devices.

Alex serves on the Board of Directors of Erasca, Inc., and is Chair of the Audit Committee. Alex has also served on the Boards of Directors for multiple life science companies, including Ignyta Inc. (acquired by Roche) and Dusa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (acquired by Sun Pharma). He also served as an Investor Board Observer of 454 Life Sciences (acquired by Roche).

Alex is a member on Brown University’s Advisory Council on Biology and Medicine. He is also Treasurer, Executive Committee member, and Board member of The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Conquer Cancer Foundation. Alex received an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, Beta Gamma Sigma, and a B.A. in political science from Brown University.

Leigh MacConell, PhD, is Chief Development Officer and brings more than 25 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience advancing innovative therapies from early-stage research through global registration and commercialization. She has served in C-suite development leadership roles for more than five years, overseeing clinical development, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, and development operations.

Prior to joining the company, Dr. MacConell held senior executive positions at HighTide Therapeutics and Intercept Pharmaceuticals and served in development leadership roles at Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Bristol Myers Squibb. Throughout her career, she has led multidisciplinary teams across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including metabolic, liver, and neuromuscular diseases, with a focus on advancing therapies for serious conditions with significant unmet medical need.

Dr. MacConell has extensive expertise in portfolio strategy, translational medicine, clinical development, and global regulatory affairs, and has contributed to the successful development and approval of multiple therapies in major markets worldwide. Her experience spans all phases of drug development, from first-in-human studies through commercialization and lifecycle management. She has partnered closely with key opinion leaders, investors and boards of directors to align development priorities with corporate strategy and value creation.

Dr. MacConell earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego.

Eric currently serves as our Chief Financial Officer and leads our accounting and finance functions. He joined Epirium as Vice President, Finance Operations and Chief Accounting Officer in January 2021, bringing over 20 years of finance experience, including over a decade in the life science industry at both commercial and clinical-stage companies. Prior to joining Epirium, Eric was the acting San Diego Site Head of Finance at Synthorx, Inc. after its acquisition by Sanofi. Previously, Eric held various roles with increasing responsibilities at Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc., including Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer. During his time at Acadia, Eric supported its first commercial launch and oversaw accounting, SEC reporting, treasury, and financial planning functions, as well as supported fundraising initiatives of over $1B in follow-on public offerings for the company. He also held roles with increasing responsibility at Cadence Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals).

Eric is a Certified Public Accountant with the State of California and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.