Philadelphia Power Moves: Spark Therapeutics gets a new CEO 

Two new people were appointed to life sciences leadership roles last month.

Local cell and gene therapy success story Spark Therapeutics announced its next CEO, and the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative appointed its first managing director

Also, four major players in Philly tech will be recognized by the University City Science Center at its annual Nucleus Awards at the end of the month. This year the awards will recognize leaders in research, investment, education and workforce development. 

Read on to catch up on the rest of the region’s latest Power Moves. 

Nucleus Awards honors ARPA doc and diversity leaders

The University City Science Center announced four honorees at this year’s Nucleus Awards, which recognizes leaders in the innovation, science and technology space in Philadelphia. The awards ceremony will be on Sept. 24. 

Bon Ku, program manager for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, will receive the commercialization award. Ku, a practicing emergency physician, previously worked as associate dean at Thomas Jefferson University’s medical school and was also the director of the Health Design Lab, where he researched medical applications of 3D printing. 

Philly native Michael Burychka won the capital award for his efforts investing in diverse startups to expand the STEM community. Burychka is the founder and CEO of early-stage investment firm Longview Innovation, which provided funding to successful tech companies like biotech company Carisma Therapeutics and drone company Exyn Technologies. 

Dan Rhoton, CEO of tech workforce development nonprofit Hopeworks, earned the cultivator award. This award recognizes an individual creating inclusive STEM talent pipelines and encouraging workforce diversity. Rhoton has spent two decades working with young people, including at Hopeworks, which trains local young adults in tech careers. 

The convenor award, which recognizes someone who is a strong connector of diverse people, networks and ideas, goes to Danae Mobley, executive director of 1Philadelphia. Mobley is also the CEO of tech education nonprofit Coded by. Her work generally focuses on increasing access and equity to local technology careers. 

PA life sciences collab puts economics leader at the helm

The Keystone LifeSci Collaborative chose Maurie Smith as its first managing director. Smith has a decade of experience working in economic development roles, and will help the collaborative advance its mission to create a central place for all life sciences stakeholders to convene. 

“Together, we expect to ignite innovation and job growth in the sector and make Pennsylvania an attractive place to open and operate a life sciences organization,” Christopher Molineaux, president and CEO of Life Sciences Pennsylvania, said. 

Smith was previously vice president at the consulting firm U3 Advisors where she worked with a variety of organizations to strengthen partnerships and create economic development opportunities through workforce development programs and physical infrastructure. 

The Keystone LifeSci Collaborative launched this spring from the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, a workforce development program run through the University City District that helps connect Philadelphians to employers. 

Spark Therapeutics is getting a new CEO

Sylke Poehling will be the new CEO of local cell and gene therapy company Spark Therapeutics. Poehling will replace Ron Philip, who has been in the role since 2022. 

Poehling was previously vice president and global head of therapeutic modalities at Roche, the company that acquired Spark in 2019 for $4.8 billion, which is Philly’s largest-ever VC-backed exit. Poehling worked in various roles at Roche for over 17 years. 

“I’m honored to step into this role and look forward to working alongside the incredible [team at Spark] to unlock the transformative power of gene therapy,” Poehling wrote on LinkedIn. 

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia spinout is behind the first FDA-approved gene therapy, Luxturna, which treats a genetic eye disease called retinal dystrophy. It is currently building its new Gene Therapy Innovation Center in University City. Last month, the 800-person company had a round of layoffs and ended some early-stage programs, reported the Philadelphia Business Journal. 

More Power Moves: 

• Tech workforce development org Hopeworks appointed Pecola King as its new director of revenue cycle management. King has 18 years of experience in the field. 
• Wireless electric vehicle charging company InductEV announced a partnership with UK-based EO Charging, which specializes in charging technology for commercial fleets. 
• Comcast NBCUniversal Sportstech’s latest cohort will complete the program with 15 pilots, partnerships and commercial deals already in the works. 
• The University City Science Center has five new board members:
  • Liv Carter, a relationship manager with TD Bank’s Commercial Banking Group
  • Donald Generals, president of the Community College of Philadelphia
  • Josh Gladden, vice president for research at Temple University
  • Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System
  • Ivy Silver, independent director at Fulton Bank. 

• This year, 107 companies from the Philadelphia area made it onto the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list, including HR tech company Phenom, clinical trial payment tech company Greenphire and financial services firm Trusight.