Apellis Pharmaceuticals Appoints Craig Wheeler to Board of Directors

Craig Wheeler joins Apellis Pharmaceuticals' Board of Directors, bringing over 30 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience.

Quiver AI Summary

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has appointed Craig Wheeler, founder and CEO of Headwaters Biotech Advisors, to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. With over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical sector, Wheeler previously led Momenta Pharmaceuticals through significant growth and its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 2020, and he has also held leadership positions at Chiron Biopharmaceuticals. Apellis CEO Cedric Francois expressed enthusiasm about Wheeler's addition to the Board, emphasizing his leadership skills and industry expertise as valuable assets for the company. Wheeler, who has a background in immunology, shared his admiration for Apellis's commitment to innovative therapies and looks forward to contributing to its mission. Apellis is recognized for developing groundbreaking treatments targeting complement inhibition for serious diseases, including the first therapy for geographic atrophy, a leading cause of blindness.

Potential Positives

Craig Wheeler's appointment to the Board of Directors brings over 30 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience, which could enhance the company's strategic direction and decision-making.
Mr. Wheeler's previous success in leading Momenta Pharmaceuticals through multiple product launches and an acquisition by Johnson & Johnson suggests he has valuable expertise in growing biopharmaceutical companies.
His recognition of Apellis's commitment to innovative therapies and strong portfolio indicates potential credibility and support from a seasoned industry leader, which can positively influence investor and market perception.

Potential Negatives

None

FAQ

Who is joining the Apellis Board of Directors?

Craig Wheeler, founder and CEO of Headwaters Biotech Advisors, is joining the Apellis Board of Directors.

What experience does Craig Wheeler bring to Apellis?

Craig Wheeler has over 30 years of leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including successful company growth and product launches.

What did Apellis CEO Cedric Francois say about Craig Wheeler?

Cedric Francois expressed enthusiasm, calling Craig a seasoned leader whose expertise will benefit Apellis in delivering innovative therapies.

What educational background does Craig Wheeler have?

Craig Wheeler holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Wharton and degrees in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.

What is Apellis Pharmaceuticals known for?

Apellis Pharmaceuticals develops innovative therapies, including the first-ever treatment for geographic atrophy, a major cause of blindness.

Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.

$APLS Insider Trading Activity

$APLS insiders have traded $APLS stock on the open market 45 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 45 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $APLS stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

CEDRIC FRANCOIS (Chief Executive Officer) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 28,629 shares for an estimated $854,931.
DAVID O. WATSON (General Counsel) has made 0 purchases and 6 sales selling 21,753 shares for an estimated $641,030.
NUR NICHOLSON (Chief Technical Officer) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 9,550 shares for an estimated $284,281.
ADAM J. TOWNSEND (Chief Commercial Officer) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 8,904 shares for an estimated $264,625.
PASCAL DESCHATELETS (Chief Scientific Officer) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 7,812 shares for an estimated $232,645.
TIMOTHY EUGENE SULLIVAN (Chief Financial Officer) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 7,534 shares for an estimated $224,185.
CAROLINE BAUMAL (Chief Medical Officer) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 4,669 shares for an estimated $150,727.
KAREN LEWIS (Chief People Officer) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 4,955 shares for an estimated $147,094.
MARK JEFFREY DELONG (Chief Business & Strat Officer) has made 0 purchases and 5 sales selling 4,958 shares for an estimated $146,502.
JAMES GEORGE CHOPAS (VP/Chief Accounting Officer) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 2,777 shares for an estimated $81,782.
JEFFREY EISELE (Chief Development Officer) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 1,896 shares for an estimated $57,148.

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.

$APLS Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 143 institutional investors add shares of $APLS stock to their portfolio, and 130 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

MORGAN STANLEY added 6,237,442 shares (+184.0%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $199,036,774
WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP removed 3,766,120 shares (-24.2%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $120,176,889
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO removed 3,473,181 shares (-89.4%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $110,829,205
T. ROWE PRICE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC. removed 2,937,559 shares (-98.4%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $93,737,507
UBS GROUP AG added 2,272,055 shares (+722.0%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $72,501,275
NATIONAL BANK OF CANADA /FI/ added 1,385,080 shares (+266361.5%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $44,197,902
ROYAL BANK OF CANADA added 1,376,832 shares (+969.6%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $43,934,709

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.

$APLS Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $APLS in the last several months. We have seen 1 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Bank of America Securities issued a "Buy" rating on 11/05/2024

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $APLS, check out Quiver Quantitative's $APLS forecast page.

Full Release

WALTHAM, Mass., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: APLS) today announced that Craig Wheeler, founder and chief executive officer of Headwaters Biotech Advisors, will join the Apellis Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Wheeler is a highly accomplished executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience across the biopharmaceutical industry.

“We are thrilled to welcome Craig to the Apellis Board of Directors,” said Cedric Francois, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder, Apellis. “Craig is a seasoned leader, who has successfully grown biopharmaceutical companies into strong commercial organizations with robust pipelines. His expertise will be a tremendous asset to our Board as we continue to deliver innovative therapies to patients.”

Mr. Wheeler previously served as president and chief executive officer of Momenta Pharmaceuticals. During his 14-year tenure, he led the company from its early stages through multiple product launches and ultimately its acquisition by Johnson and Johnson in 2020. Prior to Momenta, he was president of Chiron Biopharmaceuticals, where he led a fully integrated global pharmaceutical business unit of approximately 2,500 global employees. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Amicus Therapeutics and previously served on the Board at Avanir Pharmaceuticals, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, and the California Healthcare Institute.

“I have long admired Apellis’s commitment to advancing innovative therapies for patients with significant unmet needs,” said Mr. Wheeler. “Having previously led an immunology company, I believe that Apellis’s portfolio and scientific approach are among the best in the industry. I look forward to joining the outstanding leadership team at Apellis.”

Mr. Wheeler holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.

About Apellis
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company that combines courageous science and compassion to develop life-changing therapies for some of the most challenging diseases patients face. We ushered in the first new class of complement medicine in 15 years and now have two approved medicines targeting C3. These include the first-ever therapy for geographic atrophy, a leading cause of blindness around the world. We believe we have only begun to unlock the potential of targeting C3 across many serious diseases. For more information, please visit http://apellis.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn .

Apellis Forward-Looking Statement
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. 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 discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of Apellis’ Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2025 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:
Lissa Pavluk
[email protected]
617.977.6764

Investor Contact:
Neil Carnahan
[email protected]
617.977.5703