Matinas BioPharma taps industry veteran Natasha Giordano as board director

Matinas BipPharma Holdings Inc (NYSEAMERICAN:MTNB) announced on Monday that it has appointed Natasha Giordano to the company’s board as an independent director and a member of the audit committee. The Bedminster, New Jersey-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company said the appointment was effective from Monday, September 14, 2020. Giordano brings over 25 years of experience in healthcare to Matinas. She has held senior leadership positions and board director roles in several pharma companies. She has served as president, CEO, and director of PLx Pharma Inc since January 2016. Previously, she served as the president and CEO of both ClearPoint Learning Inc, and Healthcare Corporation of America. READ: Matinas BioPharma advances the promise of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids Similarly, from June 2009 to August 2012, Giordano served as the chief operating officer and then CEO and director of Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc. She also served as a director for Aceto Corporation from December 2011 through September 2019. Earlier in her career, Giordano worked for Parke-Davis/Warner Lambert then Pfizer, in several sales and marketing leadership roles. “We are delighted to welcome Natasha to the Matinas Board,” Herbert Conrad, chairman of the Matinas BioPharma board said in a statement. “Natasha’s background includes significant commercial and strategic expertise and will complement the experience of our other Board members.  This will be invaluable as our lead products move through clinical development. We are honored she has chosen to join us.” Giordano said she is “extremely pleased” to join the team at Matinas at an “exciting time.” “With several important clinical and strategic milestones over the next few quarters, I look forward to working with Herb, Jerry and the entire Matinas team to help maximize our opportunities and position the company for commercial success to drive shareholder value,” she added. Separately, the company said that Adam Stern will not stand for re-election to the company’s board, instead he will transition to a consulting role where he will be available to the CEO and the board on matters related to overall corporate and financial strategy. “Adam has served on our Board of Directors since inception, providing tremendous leadership, insight and guidance throughout his long-standing tenure,” said Matinas CEO Jerome D Jabbour. “Our company, as well as I personally, have benefited greatly from his extensive expertise and deep relationships within the investment community.” For his part, Stern said he believed that Matinas is “extremely well-positioned” for the future.  “I would also like to welcome Natasha Giordano to the Matinas family. Her significant commercial expertise comes at exactly the right time and makes her an ideal board member at this pivotal time for the company,” added Stern. Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive