Oxford Biomedica plc, a cell and gene therapy CDMO, has appointed Lucinda (Lucy) Crabtree Ph.D. as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Board member. Stuart Paynter will step down as CFO and from the Board after almost seven years of service.

These changes will become effective on September 2, 2024 and Paynter will then transition away from Oxford Biomedica following a suitable handover period.

About Lucinda Crabtree

Crabtree was previously CFO at MorphoSys AG. As CFO of MorphoSys, she led a finance team across the US and Germany until the closing of the acquisition of the company by Novartis.

Prior to MorphoSys, Crabtree was CFO at Autolus Therapeutics, a Nasdaq listed clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. Before her time at Autolus, Crabtree spent several years as an investment professional at institutions including Woodford Investment Management, Panmure Gordon, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan (originally Bear Stearns) and Jefferies. Crabtree also has prior experience as a board observer at several private healthcare companies.

She holds a first class Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology and Pharmacology from University College London and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from University College London.

“This is an exciting time to join Oxford Biomedica, having entered a new phase as an international pure-play cell and gene therapy CDMO,” Crabtree remarked. “I look forward to working with Frank and the senior leadership team alongside the Board, as we continue to execute on this integrated strategy and continue our growth in the backdrop of a rapidly expanding cell and gene therapy market.”

Dr. Frank Mathias, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Biomedica, commented: “On behalf of the corporate executive team, I am delighted to welcome Lucy to Oxford Biomedica. Her unique skillset will be immensely valuable to us as we enter the next phase of our growth as a pure-play CDMO. I would also like to warmly thank Stuart for his dedicated service to OXB.”

This news comes months after Oxford Biomedica completed its acquisition of ABL Europe SAS from Institut Mérieux SA.