Business Wire

F-star Appoints Darlene Deptula-Hicks as Chief Financial Officer and Opens Office in Cambridge, MA

18.6.2019 14:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share

F-star Therapeutics Ltd., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company delivering tetravalent bispecific antibodies for a paradigm-shift in cancer therapy, today announces the appointment of Darlene Deptula-Hicks, MBA as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), succeeding Tolga Hassan, who is appointed to serve as F-star’s Chief Operating Officer.

Darlene Deptula-Hicks joins F-star from Northern Biologics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing first-in-class antibody therapeutics in oncology. Previously, Darlene held CFO positions across both private and publicly listed US companies, including Pieris Pharmaceuticals Inc., Microline Surgical Inc. and T2 Biosystems Inc. She brings to F-star a proven track record of finance strategy and leadership, capital raising, industry knowledge and the ability to build strong strategic partnerships.

Darlene Deptula-Hicks, CFO of F-star, said: “It is a very exciting time to be joining F-star given its evolution to a fully-fledged clinical-stage, international business. The company’s pipeline of promising bispecific antibodies has the potential to address the growing need for, and commercial opportunity from, more efficacious therapies for cancer patients. I am excited to join the management team of this next-generation immunotherapy business.”

Eliot Forster, CEO of F-star, said: “We believe Darlene’s strong commercial and capital markets experience from within the life sciences sector will play a critical role in our transition and I’m delighted that she has joined the company. Tolga’s expertise and company knowledge continues to be vital to our success as we work towards realising our ambition to bring new drugs to cancer patients as quickly as we can.”

To support F-star’s international expansion strategy, the company has also established US operations based in Cambridge, MA. Research operations will continue at the company’s site in Cambridge, UK, while the US office will support the growth of F-star’s in-house financial, clinical and regulatory activities.

F-star has also appointed Lindsey Trickett as Vice President of Investor Relations and Communications. Lindsey brings with her a wealth of experience in investor relations and antibody drug development. She joins F-star from Intellia Therapeutics, Inc., where she served as a Vice President of Investor Relations. Previously, Lindsey held senior IR and strategic marketing positions at AstraZeneca plc and spent over a decade in roles of increasing responsibility at MedImmune, LLC/AstraZeneca plc.

Both Darlene and Lindsey will be based out of F-star’s US office.

- ENDS -

About F-star Therapeutics Ltd

F-star is a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company delivering tetravalent bispecific antibodies for a paradigm-shift in cancer therapy. By developing medicines that seek to block tumour immune evasion, the Company’s goal is to offer patients greater and more durable benefits than current immuno-oncology treatments. Through its proprietary tetravalent, bispecific antibody (mAb²™) format, F-star is generating first- and best-in-class drug candidates with monoclonal antibody-like manufacturability. Building on the combined expertise of its world-class management team and scientific leadership, F-star is poised to deliver the next breakthrough immunotherapies for cancer patients.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

For investor enquiries:
Lindsey Trickett
VP Investor Relations & Communications
+1 240 543 7970
lindsey.trickett@f-star.com

Consilium Strategic Communications
Chris Gardner, Sue Stuart, David Daley
Tel: +44 (0)20 3709 5700
E-mail: F-star@consilium-comms.com

For media enquiries
Pierre Peotta
Communications Manager
+44 (0)1223 948 094
+44 (0)7392 080 279
pierre.peotta@f-star.com

US
Catherine London, US President
Tel: +1 917-763-2709
E-mail: F-star@consilium-comms.com

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Special Olympics Airlift Takes Flight Nationwide; Dove 1 Arrives at St. Paul Downtown Airport19.6.2026 18:09:00 EEST | Press release

The 2026 Special Olympics Airlift officially took flight today as all participating Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft, known as Doves, departed from airports across the country. Dove 1 for arrival day, a Cessna Citation Latitude generously operated by Prent Corporation, landed at St. Paul Downtown Airport (STP) carrying Special Olympic athletes and delegation members, signaling the start of Airlift arrivals for the Special Olympics USA Games. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260619085293/en/ Special Olympics Airlift takes flight nationwide; Dove 1 arrives at St. Paul Downtown Airport (Photo credit: Textron Aviation). The arrival signals the start of the world’s largest cumulative peacetime airlift spanning more than 40 years, a coordinated aviation effort organized by Textron Aviation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, that transports hundreds of Special Olympics athletes and coaches from multiple states

Record Currency Management Participates in Innovative European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) -Backed Mongolian Tugrik Transaction19.6.2026 17:53:00 EEST | Press release

Record Currency Management Ltd (RCM), subsidiary of London-listed Record plc (Record Financial Group), is pleased to announce its participation in an innovative local currency bond transaction issued by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), supporting the development of Mongolia's capital markets while providing institutional investors with access to attractive frontier market opportunities. RCM is the UK currency management arm of Record Financial Group, the London-listed specialist investment group managing USD 115 billion of assets on behalf of institutional clients worldwide. Record's client base comprises pension funds, foundations, sovereign institutions and other asset managers, with whom the Group has built long-standing relationships through its focus on bespoke investment and risk management solutions. Headquartered in London, Record has offices in Hamburg, Zurich, Zug, New York, and Hong Kong. The investment forms part of Record Financial Group's broad

Plasma One Launches to Herald a New Era of Stablecoin Banking19.6.2026 15:29:00 EEST | Press release

Plasma has today announced the launch of Plasma One, its flagship financial product designed to make digital dollars usable for everyday spending, sending and earning. Plasma One is designed to make stablecoins feel like money, only better - more accessible, reliable and efficient. For years, stablecoin adoption has been held back by a fragmented system and poor user experience. We have seen wallets in one place, exchanges in another, and costly off-ramps standing between digital dollars and daily life. Plasma One brings that experience together in a single app, giving users a simple way to spend, send and earn with stablecoins from one account with zero fees. Headquartered in London, the city that gave rise to Revolut, Wise and Monzo, Plasma is making a bigger bet, that the next generation of consumer banking will be built on stablecoin rails, not legacy banking infrastructure. Underneath Plasma One is the Plasma Network, Plasma’s own blockchain, purpose-built to move stablecoins inst

IQM Appoints Craig Ciesla, Former Illumina VP, as CTO; Inés de Vega Becomes Chief Scientist19.6.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release

IQM Quantum Computers, the global leader in superconducting quantum computers, today announced the appointments of Dr. Craig Ciesla as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Dr. Inés de Vega as Chief Scientist, as she transitions from her role as Vice President of Quantum Solutions, deepening IQM´s leadership as the company prepares for its planned Nasdaq listing through a merger with Real Asset Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: RAAQ). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260619693929/en/ From left to right: Dr. Inés de Vega, Chief Scientist, and Dr. Craig Ciesla, Chief Technology Officer. Ciesla, an experienced deep tech executive with more than 25 years delivering products across multiple industries from startups to Fortune 500 companies, will advance IQM's technology strategy and drive its implementation into systems and products. De Vega, meanwhile, will be responsible for ensuring scientific feasibility and system-level

Teijin Receives Approval for Additional Indications of XEOMIN ® for Cervical Dystonia and Blepharospasm in Japan19.6.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release

Teijin Pharma Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group’s healthcare business, and Merz Therapeutics GmbH, a leading player in neurology-focused specialty pharma, jointly announced today that Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the additional indications for XEOMIN® (incobotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of cervical dystonia and blepharospasm. This approval represents the fourth and fifth indications for XEOMIN® authorized in Japan, alongside its existing approvals for the treatment of upper limb spasticity, lower limb spasticity and chronic sialorrhea. Cervical dystonia is a focal dystonia characterized by involuntary contractions of the neck muscles, resulting in abnormal or repetitive movements and postures.1 Blepharospasm is also a focal dystonia, characterized by excessive involuntary contractions of the muscles surrounding the eye.2 Both conditions significantly impact patients’ quality of life. The approval by MHLW is based on Phase III clinic

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye