Evaxion Appoints Helen Tayton-Martin As Chief Executive

• Tayton-Martin will take over as the CEO on November 24, the company said.
• After Tayton-Martin steps down from the Board to take up her CEO role, Jens Bitsch-Norhave will join the Board as an adviser and observer.
• Christian Kanstrup stepped down as Evaxion CEO in July. 
  

Shares of Evaxion A/S (EVAX) traded 7% higher on Monday afternoon after the company appointed Helen Tayton-Martin as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Tayton-Martin will take over as the CEO on November 24, the company said. She will also step down from the company’s board of directors.

Tayton-Martin’s Experience

Tayton-Martin was a co-founder of biotech firm Adaptimmune, where she served for 17 years in roles of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business & Strategy Officer, and took responsibility for the company’s various strategic partnerships. Before that, she spent 15 years working with pharma, biotech, and consulting environments for multiple companies, Evaxion said.

She was also a non-executive director of Trillium Therapeutics from October 2017 until its sale to Pfizer in November 2021, the company noted.

After Tayton-Martin steps down from the Board to take up her CEO role, Jens Bitsch-Norhave will join the Board as an adviser and observer, the company said. Bitsch-Norhave will seek election to the board at the Annual General Meeting in 2026. He is currently Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Development at Hengrui Pharmaceuticals.

Evaxion in July announced management changes aimed at optimizing value from its resources and pipeline. Christian Kanstrup stepped down as CEO, and the company subsequently initiated the search for a new chief executive. Evaxion’s chief scientific officer, Birgitte Rønø, was appointed as interim CEO.

The company then also announced the appointment of Thomas Schmidt as CFO.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around EVAX stock stayed within the ‘bearish’ territory while message volume stayed at ‘extremely low’ levels.

A Stocktwits user applauded the new CEO appointment.

Another expressed optimism, saying, “something is cooking.”

EVAX stock is up by 49% this year, but fell by about 56% over the past 12 months. 

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