Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> September 30, 2021

Interview with the CEO and Managing Director: Mesoblast Limited (NASDAQ:MESO)

Itescu, Silviu
Silviu Itescu, MBBS, FRACP, is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mesoblast Limited. Dr. Itescu has served on Mesoblast’s board of directors since the company’s founding in 2004, was Executive Director from 2007, and became Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director in 2011. Prior to founding Mesoblast in 2004, he established an international reputation as a physician scientist in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation, and heart failure. Dr. Itescu has been a faculty member of Columbia University in New York, and the University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia. In 2013, Dr. Itescu received the inaugural Key Innovator Award from the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture for his leadership in translational science and clinical medicine in relation to adult stem cell therapy. In 2011, he was named BioSpectrum Asia Person of the Year. He has consulted for various international pharmaceutical companies, has been an adviser to biotechnology and health care investor groups, and has served on the board of directors of several publicly listed life sciences companies. Profile
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TWST: How do you describe the company to investors? What’s your initial pitch?

Dr. Itescu: We’re a late-phase development company. We’ve