• Merck Ventures BV portfolio company Actithera named Steven Kelly chief executive officer, adding him to its board.
• Kelly previously led Carisma Therapeutics as CEO, taking it public, raising over $300 million, following senior roles at Sanofi and Amgen.
• Briggs Morrison took over as board chair; he is CEO of Crossbow Therapeutics, chair of Arvinas, previously held senior roles at AstraZeneca.
• John Crowley joined as independent director; he was CFO of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, steering its $7.8 billion sale to Eli Lilly.
• Crowley earlier served as CFO of Fusion Pharmaceuticals, taking it through a Nasdaq IPO ahead of its acquisition by AstraZeneca.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Merck Ventures BV published the original content used to generate this news brief on September 11, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.