Global biotech company atai Life Sciences, which is developing psychedelic compounds for mental health, today announced the appointment of a new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in preparation for an upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Greg Weaver and Rolando Gutierrez-Esteinou have joined atai as CFO and CMO, respectively.

Greg Weaver, who previously joined atai as a consulting CFO in July 2020, has now assumed a permanent position as of September 2020.

Greg has over 25 years of Chief Financial Officer and board director experience focusing on taking startup biotech companies through clinical development and commercial offerings.

Before his position at atai, Greg was CFO at SIRNA Therapeutics (acquired by Merck), Oryzon (ORYZF), Liminal BioSciences (LMNL) (previously Prometic), and Eloxx Pharmaceuticals (ELOX).

“Greg brings a wealth of experience with a proven track record in complex financial organizations, where he was responsible for several companies’ successful public offerings,” said atai CEO and Co-Founder Florian Brand. “As we continue to grow and evolve, Greg’s deep financial expertise and knowledge will be invaluable.”

Dr. Gutierrez-Esteinou, who will join the team as CMO starting January 1, 2021, is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive in neuroscience drug development and commercialization. Prior to atai, Dr. Gutierrez-Esteinou has held various titles at Novartis (NVS), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and BMS (BMY).

“Rolando’s three decades of experience in the neuroscience space and his true understanding of the potential of these compounds speaks directly to our values at atai,” said Dr. Srinivas Rao, atai Co-Founder, and Chief Scientific Officer. “His depth of knowledge and experience in CNS drug development will contribute greatly in our efforts to move our portfolio forward.”

As previously reported, atai Life Sciences has raised more than $100 million to fund to expand its drug candidate pipeline and provide the necessary runway to complete Phase 2 data readouts for arketamine in treatment-resistant depression and ibogaine in opioid use disorder.

With the addition of Greg Weaver and Dr. Gutierrez-Esteinou, Atai Life Sciences continues to prepare for what is looking to be a successful IPO in 2021.