Byondis Names New CEO

Byondis B.V., an independent biopharmaceutical company creating innovative targeted medicines for patients with cancer, has appointed Christoph Korpus, PhD, MBA, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately.

Korpus has served as Chief Business Officer (CBO) of the Company since January 2025. He succeeds Byondis Founder and former CEO Jacques Lemmens, PhD, who will remain on the Board of Directors as Chairman.

In his new role as CEO, Korpus will guide the advancement of research and development activities for Byondis’ novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology platforms. These platforms, which combine proprietary, novel payloads with linker and conjugation technologies and conditional activation, include Byondis’ cytotoxic antifolate linker-drug platform, ByonGuard masking technology for conditional activation, and ByonBoost immune-stimulatory linker-drug platform.

Jacques Lemmens, PhD, Chairman of Byondis’ Board of Directors, said: “Since joining as CBO last year, Christoph has been instrumental in driving Byondis’ strategic transformation into a focused, fully-integrated biotech company with multiple proprietary ADC technology platforms and a wealth of clinical and manufacturing expertise. His extensive experience in global business development and strategic partnerships, combined with a deep understanding of how our platforms can address high unmet medical needs in oncology, makes him ideally suited to guide Byondis through its next phase of growth.”

Experience

Korpus brings more than 15 years of experience from across the biopharmaceutical industry, spanning oncology R&D, digital innovation, and global business development and licensing.

Prior to joining Byondis, he served as Director, Global Business Development and Licensing Oncology at Merck KGaA, where he led partnering strategies and negotiation teams for multiple oncology transactions. Throughout his tenure at Merck, Korpus drove cross-company innovation through the management of global commercial- and development alliances across different therapeutic areas.

Korpus holds a PhD from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich and the University of Connecticut and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management.

Korpus said, “It is a great honor to be appointed to lead this company, particularly now when the path forward to maximize the value of our decades of ADC expertise is so clear. My focus now is executing our strategic vision, fostering partnerships that enhance our growth, and working with our talented team to deliver innovative ADC therapies that can overcome the critical limitations of current and next-generation therapies to make a meaningful difference for cancer patients.”