Particles for Humanity Appoints Mark Kessel as Chair of Its Board of Directors
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Particles for Humanity, a life sciences company transforming early-stage technologies into products for people in low-resource settings, has appointed Mark Kessel as Chairman of its Board of Directors.
Mark Kessel is also Chairman of the Board of FIND, a global non-profit accelerating the development and delivery of diagnostic tests for poverty-related diseases. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Medicines for All Institute of the Virginia Commonwealth University focused on improving access to high-quality medications across the globe by driving down production costs. In addition, he has served as a director of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development. He was formerly the managing partner of Shearman & Sterling, with day-to-day operating responsibility. He co-founded Symphony Capital LLC, a private equity firm investing in the clinical development programs of biopharmaceutical companies, and is widely recognized as a leader in structuring product development investments for the biopharmaceutical industry. He has also served as a director of Dynavax Technologies Corporation, OXiGENE, Inc., Antigenics, Inc., Organovo Holdings, Inc., Heller Financial Inc., Harrods (UK) Limited and the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
"We are thrilled to have Mark Kessel as Board Chair. During his tenure, FIND grew from a $30 million organization with most of its funding coming from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to a $120 million organization with a diversified funding base," says Particles for Humanity's CEO and co-founder, Sherri C. Oberg. "We look forward to his advice and counsel as we tackle many of the same strategic objectives."
"I have known Mark for almost 10 years and have been impressed with his leadership and strategic thinking. He worked closely with the CEO of FIND to produce a remarkable transformation of that organization. I can see a similar partnership developing between Mark and Sherri, which could lead to similar growth and potential for impact," says Dan Hartman, Director of Integrated Development at the Gates Foundation and a board observer at Particles for Humanity. Hartman is also Chair of the Quarterly Steering Committee that oversees the foundation's grant to Langer Lab at MIT, which invented the two technologies that Particles for Humanity is developing under a humanitarian license.
Particles for Humanity is developing a portfolio of products for improving vaccines and reducing malnutrition, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its rigorous product development process is based on end-user input and is focused on financially sustainable product opportunities. For more information, visit the company's website www.particlesfh.com.
