Faron Pharmaceuticals Appoints Former AstraZeneca Executive as CFO Ahead of Bexmarilimab Registrational Study
Key Insights
Faron Pharmaceuticals (search) has appointed Jurriaan Dekkers as Chief Financial Officer, bringing over 20 years of biopharma experience including roles at AstraZeneca Netherlands and ProQR Therapeutics.
The appointment comes as Faron's lead immunotherapy asset bexmarilimab prepares to enter registrational studies, with CEO Juho Jalkanen highlighting Dekkers' fundraising and strategic growth expertise.
Current CFO Yrjö Wichmann will retire after playing a key role in the company's strategic transition and growth, remaining through Q1 2026 for continuity.
Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Faron Pharmaceuticals (search) has appointed Jurriaan Dekkers as Chief Financial Officer, effective December 1, 2025, as the company prepares to advance its lead immunotherapy asset bexmarilimab into registrational studies.
Executive Leadership Transition
Dekkers brings more than 20 years of experience in biopharma and healthcare companies to his new role. Most recently, he served as CFO at ProQR Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing RNA therapies for severe unmet medical needs. His previous positions include CFO of AstraZeneca in the Netherlands and CEO of Acerta Pharma, which is part of the AstraZeneca Group.
"We are very happy to welcome Jurriaan into Faron's team in this exciting growth phase of Faron. His experience and proven track record of fundraising and strategic and commercial growth initiatives will support the advancement of our lead asset bexmarilimab as it enters the registrational study," commented Dr. Juho Jalkanen, CEO of Faron.
Dekkers has also held global and European finance roles at DaVita Medical Group, a US-listed international healthcare provider, and Sandvik. He currently serves as a Supervisory Board member and Audit Committee Member at Stichting Kinderpostzegels in the Netherlands. He holds a MSc. in Economics from the Erasmus University Rotterdam and is a Certified Public Auditor graduate from the same institution.
Strategic Timing for Bexmarilimab Development
The appointment comes at a critical juncture for Faron as its wholly owned investigational immunotherapy bexmarilimab prepares for registrational studies. Bexmarilimab is designed to overcome resistance to existing treatments by targeting myeloid cell function and activating the immune system.
The drug binds to Clever-1 (search), an immunosuppressive receptor found on macrophages that contributes to tumor growth and metastases by helping cancer (search) evade the immune system. By targeting the Clever-1 receptor on macrophages, bexmarilimab alters the tumor microenvironment, reprogramming macrophages from an immunosuppressive (M2) state to an immunostimulatory (M1) state, upregulating interferon production and priming the immune system to attack tumors while sensitizing cancer cells to standard of care treatments.
Leadership Continuity
The company's current CFO Yrjö Wichmann will be retiring after playing a key role in supporting the company's strategic transition and growth over several years. Wichmann will remain with the company for a transitional period until the end of Q1 2026 to ensure continuity.
"I would like to thank Yrjö for his great contributions to Faron over the years. Yrjö has had a key role both in the early stages of the Company as well as the more recent phases of growth and transition. Yrjö is an essential part of Faron's history and the spirit of the Company. We will miss him, and wish him all the best in his retirement," said Dr. Jalkanen.
Following the announcement, Faron shares fell 5.2% to 180.20 pence on Monday afternoon in London trading. The Finland-based company trades on multiple exchanges including AIM, First North, Helsinki, and the London Stock Exchange.