Release Details

CRESTWOOD, Ky. and WALTHAM, Mass., July 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (Nasdaq:APLS) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutic compounds to treat disease through the inhibition of the complement system, announced today the appointment of Lucia Celona as Chief People Officer. Prior to joining Apellis, Celona worked at Bioverativ where as the Chief HR and Communications Officer she was instrumental in the formation of the company, directing matters relating to talent, organization design, culture, public affairs and employee communications.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lucia to Apellis’ leadership team. Lucia is a strategic business leader with deep expertise in building dynamic teams, exceptional work cultures and inciting talent to drive the business forward,” said Cedric Francois, MD, PhD, founder and chief executive officer of Apellis. “I believe her 25+ years of human resources experience – many in the life sciences industry – will be invaluable as we more than double our team this year and as we continue to become a commercial organization. I have every confidence that Lucia will be the architect of leading-edge policies and programs, that ultimately impact Apellis’ talent effectiveness.” 

Over the course of her career, Celona has held positions in most HR disciplines including; training & development, compensation & benefits, employee relations, talent acquisition and analytics. Prior to Bioverativ, she was at Biogen for 12 years holding numerous HR related positions including Vice President, Human Resources for Biogen’s Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology Organization.

In her new role, Celona will be responsible for overseeing the strategy, development, and execution of all aspects of Apellis’ human resources function.

“I’m delighted to join this talented executive team at this exciting point in Apellis’ trajectory,” said Celona. “I enjoy working with late stage companies and teams on the brink of commercialization.  The organization is getting ready for growth and there’s no greater reward than working to build a team and culture that will bring the mission of the company to life.”

Prior to Biogen, Celona held numerous HR leadership positions in companies such as Hewlett Packard, Philips Medical Systems, including CHRO for a start-up company, Sentillion. Lucia received a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Bentley University and has completed the Advanced HR Executive Program at the University of Michigan.

About Apellis
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of a broad range of life-threatening or debilitating autoimmune diseases based upon complement immunotherapy through the inhibition of the complement system at the level of C3. Apellis is the first company to advance chronic therapy with a C3 inhibitor into clinical trials. For additional information about Apellis and APL-2, please visit http://www.apellis.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the implications of preliminary clinical data. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: whether the Company’s clinical trials will be fully enrolled and completed when anticipated; whether preliminary or interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of the trial; whether results obtained in preclinical studies and clinical trials will be indicative of results that will be generated in future clinical trials; whether APL-2 will successfully advance through the clinical trial process on a timely basis, or at all; whether the results of such clinical trials will warrant regulatory submissions and whether APL-2 will receive approval from the FDA or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies for GA, PNH, CAD, wAIHA or any other indication; whether, if Apellis’ products receive approval, they will be successfully distributed and marketed; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of Apellis’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 7, 2019 and the risks described in other filings that Apellis may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Apellis specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Contact:
Liza Sullivan
lsullivan@denterlein.com  
617.482.0042  (office)
917.981.7494  (mobile)

Investor Contact:
Alex Kane
akane@w2ogroup.com
212.301.7218  (office)
929.400.2691  (mobile)

Source: Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.