Rafael Holdings Appoints William “Bill” Conkling as CEO

NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rafael Holdings, Inc., (NYSE: RFL), a company focused on discovering and developing novel cancer and immune metabolism therapeuties through its Barer Institute and investment in Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and other early-stage ventures, today announced several changes to its leadership team. William (Bill) Conkling will remain with the Company and assume the responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer from Ameet Mallik as of February 1, 2022.

Bill Conkling has over 20 years of experience specializing in the development and commercialization of novel cancer therapeutics and currently serves as Rafael’s Chief Commercial and Business Officer.  Previously, Bill was Vice President Sales, Marketing, Market Access and Commercial Operations at Immunomedics where he built and led the US commercial organization for the launch of Trodelvy, a breakthrough treatment for patients with triple negative breast cancer. Prior to Immunomedics, Mr. Conkling spent almost 15 years with Novartis Oncology where he held key leadership roles in the development and commercialization of several oncology products, including Kymriah, the first CAR-T therapy approved in the US. Mr. Conkling holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and a B.S. from Fordham University.

Dr. Rick Ewing has recently taken on the role of Head of Drug Discovery and will be responsible for expanding the research and development team and advancing our early-stage pipeline. Prior to joining Rafael Holdings, Dr. Ewing spent 21 years at Bristol Myers Squibb, most recently as Senior Director, Small Molecule Drug Discovery. Mimi Huizinga, Chief Medical Officer, will be leaving the company as of January 31, 2022, to pursue other opportunities.

“I am very pleased that Bill will be taking on the role as Chief Executive Officer. Bill is a deeply experienced leader with a successful track record of bringing innovative oncology drugs to market. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead our company as we work to advance, and potentially expand, our early-stage development programs,” said Howard Jonas, Chair of the Board of Rafael Holdings. “Rick’s extensive experience leading teams to deliver development candidates, manage academic collaborations and assess business development opportunities will add tremendous value as we advance our company. We believe our early-stage pipeline has great potential, and Rick will work closely with our world class scientific advisors to advance our programs.”

Dr. Ewing is a senior medicinal chemist with over 30 years of research and business development experience. Over the past 21 years, Dr. Ewing led multiple discovery programs at Bristol Myers Squibb. In his career, Dr Ewing led teams to deliver over 15 development candidates.  Dr. Ewing has 74 patents, and 73 peer reviewed publications. In 2021, he was awarded the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fellow for his scientific achievements and contributions to the Society, and in 2018 received the Ondetti-Cushman award for leadership of the FXIa team that discovered Milvexian, currently in Phase 2 clinical trials. Over his last 5 years at BMS, Dr. Ewing was involved in over 100 business development evaluations across multiple therapeutic areas including oncology, immunology, fibrosis, heart failure and platform technologies. Dr. Ewing was the discovery chemistry lead for the BMS-Scripps Research and BMS-Princeton University academic collaborations. Rick served as the Integration Lead for small molecule drug discovery for the Bristol Myers Squibb-Celgene acquisition. Prior to Bristol Myers Squibb, Dr. Ewing spent 12 years at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now part of Sanofi). Dr. Ewing received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, and his B.S. in Chemistry West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Ameet Mallik will remain a highly engaged member of the company’s Board of Directors and Chair the recently established Transition Committee.

About Rafael Holdings, Inc.

Rafael Holdings is focused on the development of novel cancer and immune metabolism therapeutics. The company owns the Barer Institute, Inc. and is a significant investor in two clinical stage oncology companies, Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and LipoMedix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Through the Barer Institute, the company is developing a pipeline of compounds focused on the regulation of cancer and immune metabolism. On June 21, 2021, the company announced that it has entered into a merger agreement to acquire full ownership of Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc. For more information, visit www.rafaelholdings.com.