Kite Pharma names Cynthia Butitta as CFO

Kite Pharma has named industry veteran Cynthia Butitta as chief financial officer.

Butitta was most recently chief financial officer of NextWave Pharmaceuticals and played a key role in the company's acquisition by Pfizer in October 2012.

Her other previous roles include chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Telik where she was responsible for securing over $450m through an initial public offering (IPO). She was also VP of finance at the biotech Connetics.

Kite Pharma is a biotech specialist in the burgeoning area of cancer immunotherapy products.

It has made a number of recent senior appointments in recent months – including several immunotherapy experts to its scientific advisory board and a chief medical officer – and Butitta is the latest hire to bolster its senior team.

“As a leading company in the emerging and highly promising field of immunotherapy, Kite has the opportunity to play a pivotal role in changing the way we approach cancer,” said Butitta.