Paul J. Hastings

Paul J. Hastings

CEO of Nkarta Therapeutics

Mr. Hastings has served as a director since June 2011 and as our Lead Director since June 2013. In December 2023, Mr. Hastings was appointed as the Chair of our board of directors. Mr. Hastings has served as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Nkarta Therapeutics, Inc, (Nasdaq: NKTX) since February 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Hastings served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: OMED) (“OncoMed”), a clinical development-stage biopharmaceutical company, from January 2006 until January 2018. In August 2013, he was elected Chairman of the board of directors of OncoMed. Prior to joining OncoMed, Mr. Hastings was President and Chief Executive Officer of QLT, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of ocular products. Before this role, Mr. Hastings served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Axys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Axys”), which was acquired by Celera Corporation in 2001. Prior to Axys, Mr. Hastings was President of Chiron Biopharmaceuticals and also held a variety of management positions of increasing responsibility at Genzyme Corporation, including President of Genzyme Therapeutics Europe and President of Worldwide Therapeutics. Mr. Hastings was Chairman of the board of directors of Proteolix (sold to Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) and Proteon Therapeutics, Inc., as well as a member of the board of directors of each of ViaCell Inc. (sold to PerkinElmer, Inc.), Relypsa, Inc. (sold to Galencia AG), and ViaCyte, Inc. (sold to Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) Mr. Hastings currently serves as a Director of enGene Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENGN) and chair emeritus of the board of directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). He received a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.