Menu

About

Our team is bold and optimistic.

Since our founding in 2007, we’ve put tenacity and innovation to work to develop unique therapeutics that have the potential to set new standards of care for people living with kidney disease. We have emerged as a leader with deep roots in the renal community. Today, we are a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with both an experienced nephrology-focused commercial team and a robust development organization.

We have one commercial product, a phosphate binder, approved and marketed in the United States, Japan and Taiwan. We have a second commercial product, vadadustat, an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (HIF-PHI), approved for use in 34 countries. 

 

Vadadustat is an investigational drug that has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

We challenge
the status quo

At Akebia, we are all in on our purpose – to better the life of each person impacted by kidney disease.

We know that big change is possible when we work together, within Akebia and well beyond our four walls. We collaborate with partners around the globe, members of the medical and biopharmaceutical communities, as well as patient organizations.

We are located in the biotech hub of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where we are inspired by our peers and dedicated to working with our partners, patients, advocacy organizations and the broader renal community to better the life of each person impacted by kidney disease.

Management

Our leadership team has a strong track record in developing and commercializing drugs for the treatment of renal and metabolic disorders.

CORPORATE OFFICERS

John Butler

John Butler

President and Chief Executive Officer

Steven K. Burke

Steven K. Burke, M.D.

Senior Vice President,
Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer

Steven K. Burke

Ellen Snow

Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer

Michel Dahan

Michel Dahan

Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer

Nikki Hadas

Senior Vice President,
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Nicholas Grund

Senior Vice President,
Chief Commercial Officer

LEADERSHIP

Meredith Bowman

Meredith Bowman

Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer

Kimberly Garko

Kimberly Garko

Senior Vice President, Chief Technical Officer 

Carolyn Rucci

Carolyn Rucci

Senior Vice President, Legal and General Counsel

Tracey Vetterick

Tracey Vetterick

Vice President, Portfolio Strategy & Corporate Administration

Board of Directors

Adrian Adams, Chairperson

Adrian Adams has served as a member of our Board of Directors since completion of the Merger with Keryx in December 2018. From February 2016 to January 2019, Mr. Adams served as Chief Executive Officer of Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc., a pharmaceutical company that focused on the development, acquisition and commercialization of cardiovascular, pain and other therapies and was a member of the Aralez Board of Directors from February 2016 to March 2019. From May 2015 to February 2016, Mr. Adams was the Chief Executive Officer and served on the Board of Directors of POZEN, Inc., a pharmaceutical company which was combined with Tribute Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. to become Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2016. In August 2018, Aralez voluntarily commenced restructuring proceedings in Canadian Court and its U.S.-based subsidiaries, including POZEN, Inc., filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Previously, Mr. Adams served as Chief Executive Officer, President and a director of Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, from December 2011 until January 2015, when it was acquired by Endo International plc. Prior to these roles, Mr. Adams served in several chief executive officer positions at leading specialty pharmaceutical companies including Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sepracor, Inc. and Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Adams served as Chief Executive Officer of Neurologix, Inc. Mr. Adams has also held general management and senior international and national marketing positions at Novartis, SmithKline Beecham and Imperial Chemical Industries (now part of AstraZeneca). Mr. Adams also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Impel Neuropharma, Inc. Mr. Adams graduated from the Royal Institute of Chemistry at Salford University.

John P. Butler

John P. Butler joined Akebia as a director in July 2013 and was appointed as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Akebia in September 2013. Prior to joining Akebia, from 2011 until 2013, Mr. Butler served as the Chief Executive Officer of Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Butler led the transactions that resulted in the sale of its hemophilia assets to Cangene Corporation and Baxter International in early 2013 for total aggregate consideration that could exceed $1 billion. From 1997 to 2011, Mr. Butler held various positions at Genzyme Corporation, now Sanofi Genzyme, most recently serving as President of the company’s rare genetic diseases business. From 2002 until 2010, Mr. Butler led Genzyme’s renal division. Prior to his work at Genzyme, Mr. Butler held sales and marketing positions at Amgen and Hoffmann-La Roche. Mr. Butler currently serves on the Board of Directors of Zynerba Pharmaceuticals, Inc. From 2013 to 2016, Mr. Butler served on the Board of Directors of Relypsa, Inc. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Butler served on the Board of Directors of Keryx and was Chairman of Keryx’s Board of Directors from 2016 to 2017. Mr. Butler is Chair of Kidney Care Partners and formerly served as a Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Kidney Fund. Mr. Butler received a B.A. in chemistry from Manhattan College and an M.B.A. degree from Baruch College, City University of New York.

Ron Frieson

Ron Frieson has served as a member of our Board of Directors since November 2021. Since July 2020, Mr. Frieson has served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), a non-profit corporation whose mission focuses on bettering all aspects of children’s healthcare. Prior to serving as COO, from June 2015 to July 2020, Mr. Frieson served as President, Foundation and External Affairs of CHOA. From June 2008 to May 2015, Mr. Frieson served as Chief Public Policy Officer of CHOA. Prior to CHOA, Mr. Frieson served as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Urban League. Mr. Frieson also spent many years at BellSouth (acquired by AT&T Inc. in 2006) roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as President, Georgia Operations. Additionally, Mr. Frieson was the first Chief Diversity Officer for BellSouth. Mr. Frieson currently serves as an advisory board member for Truist Bank Atlanta and serves on the private company boards of directors of Colorado Technical University and The University of Tennessee Foundation. He previously served as a board member for Children’s Miracle Network and Zoo Atlanta. In addition, Mr. Frieson served on the Board of Trustees of the American Kidney Fund from 2006 to 2012. Mr. Frieson holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Tennessee and an MBA in Information Systems from Georgia State University.

Steven C. Gilman, Ph.D.

Steven C. Gilman, Ph.D., has served as a member of our Board of Directors since the Merger with Keryx in December 2018. Dr. Gilman had served as a member of the Board of Directors of Keryx from March 2016 until completion of the Merger. Dr. Gilman previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of ContraFect Corporation, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of protein and antibody therapeutics for life-threatening, drug-resistant infectious diseases, from July 2016 to April 2019. From February 2008 until January 2015, Dr. Gilman served as Executive Vice President, Research & Development and Chief Scientific Officer of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company developing antibiotics, until its acquisition by Merck & Co. Prior to joining Cubist, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of ActivBiotics, a privately held biopharmaceutical company. Previously, Dr. Gilman worked at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he held a number of senior leadership roles including Vice President and General Manager of Inflammation. Prior to Millennium, he was group director at Pfizer Global Research and Development, where he was responsible for drug discovery of several therapeutic areas, including immunology and antibacterials. Dr. Gilman has also held scientific, business, and academic appointments at Wyeth, Cytogen Corporation, Temple Medical School, and Connecticut College. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Vericel Corporation, SCYNEXIS, Inc., and ContraFect Corporation. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in October 2020, the Massachusetts Biotechnology Association, the Penn State University Biotechnology Advisory Board and the Northeastern University Drug Discovery Advisory Board. Dr. Gilman received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in microbiology from Pennsylvania State University, his post-doctoral training at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation and received a B.A. in microbiology from Miami University of Ohio. He has authored over 60 publications and is an inventor of seven patents.

Michael Rogers

Michael Rogers has served as a member of our Board of Directors since completion of the Merger with Keryx in December 2018. He has served as Chief Financial Officer of Apnimed, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing oral medicines to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and related disorders, since November 2020. Mr. Rogers had served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Keryx from September 2017 until completion of the Merger, and a member of the Board of Directors of Keryx from March 2016 until completion of the Merger. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from November 2017 until October 2019. Prior to Aerpio, Mr. Rogers was Chief Financial Officer of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing and commercializing therapies to treat neurological disorders, from October 2013 to October 2016. From 1999 to 2009, Mr. Rogers was the Chief Financial Officer of Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. until the company’s sale to Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He also served as Chief Financial Officer at BG Medicine, Inc., Advanced Health Corporation and Autoimmune Inc. Prior to his roles as chief financial officer, Mr. Rogers was an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and PaineWebber, where he focused on life sciences companies. He previously served on the Board of Directors for EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, formerly pSivida Corp. Mr. Rogers currently serves on the Board of Directors of Aravive, Inc. Mr. Rogers received his B.A. from Union College and an M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Cynthia Smith

Cynthia Smith has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2018. Since January 2017, she has consulted as a strategic advisor for biotechnology companies. Previously, she served as Chief Commercial Officer and a member of the Executive Committee of ZS Pharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapies for treatment of hyperkalemia and liver diseases, from 2013 to 2016, where she led efforts to transition the company from a development stage company to a commercial enterprise. ZS Pharma, Inc. was acquired by AstraZeneca in 2015. Prior to ZS Pharma, Ms. Smith served as Vice President, Market Access and Commercial Development at Affymax, Inc., from 2008 to 2013. From 2000 to 2008, she held various senior leadership positions in market access, corporate strategy, government relations and external affairs at Merck & Co. Before beginning her career in the biopharmaceutical industry, Ms. Smith served as a healthcare policy analyst in the Office of Management and Budget at the White House from 1995 to 2000. Ms. Smith currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Protara Therapeutics, Spero Therapeutics, Inc., and the French-American Foundation, and she served on the Board of Directors of Nivalis Therapeutics from 2016 to 2017. Ms. Smith earned a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and an M.S. in public policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.

Myles Wolf, M.D., M.M.S.c.

Myles Wolf, M.D., M.M.S.C., joined as a member of our Board of Directors in April 2020. Dr. Wolf has significant experience advising biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic firms on overall strategy, target identification, validation, and clinical drug development. He has served on standing scientific advisory boards for Akebia and Keryx.

Dr. Wolf serves as Chief of the Division of Nephrology and a Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. Since 2002, Dr. Wolf’s research has been supported by grants from the American Heart Association, National Kidney Foundation, American Society of Nephrology, and National Institutes of Health. The focus of his patient-oriented, epidemiological and basic laboratory research is disordered mineral metabolism across the spectrum of chronic kidney disease, including dialysis, kidney transplantation and earlier stages. Dr. Wolf’s research has been published in leading medical journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine; The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Circulation, Cell Metabolism, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, and Kidney International, among others. Dr. Wolf has served on the editorial boards for Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Seminars in Nephrology, and Nature Reviews Nephrology, and as Editor of the “Mineral Metabolism” section of Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension. In 2011, Dr. Wolf was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation and in 2017, he was elected to the Association of American Physicians and to the Council of the International Society of Nephrology, for which he currently serves as Chair of the North American Regional Board. Dr. Wolf has been the recipient of several teaching, mentoring and research awards.

Dr. Wolf earned his B.A. in Biology from Johns Hopkins University, his M.D. from the State University of New York, Downstate, and his Master of Medical Sciences in Clinical and Physiological Investigation from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Wolf completed his internship and residency, and a fellowship in nephrology, at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to joining Duke University in 2016, Dr. Wolf held faculty, leadership and administrative positions at Harvard Medical School, the University of Miami and Northwestern University.

LeAnne M. Zumwalt

LeAnne M. Zumwalt has served as a member of our Board of Directors since February 2021. From January 2000 to January 2021, Ms. Zumwalt served in various roles at DaVita Inc., one of the largest providers of kidney care services in the United States (DaVita). From July 2011 to January 2021, Ms. Zumwalt served as DaVita’s Group Vice President, Government Affairs, and from November 2007 to June 2020 also led DaVita’s purchasing operations. From January 2000 to July 2011, Ms. Zumwalt served as a Vice President of DaVita in many capacities, including as Vice President, Investor Relations from January 2000 to October 2009. From 1997 to 1999, Ms. Zumwalt served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Vivra Specialty Partners, Inc., a privately held healthcare service and technology firm. From 1991 to 1997, Ms. Zumwalt held various executive positions, including CFO, at Vivra Incorporated, a publicly held provider of renal dialysis services and other healthcare services. Prior to joining Vivra Incorporated, Ms. Zumwalt was a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young LLP. From July 2018 to December 2020, Ms. Zumwalt served on the Board of Directors of Adeptus Health Inc., a privately held healthcare services company, and from November 2001 to September 2017, Ms. Zumwalt served on the Board of Directors of The Advisory Board Company, which provided advice and best practices using research, technology, and consulting to improve healthcare and education institution performance. Ms. Zumwalt received her B.A. in Business Administration from Pacific Union College.

BC – 0015 (v5.0) 06/23

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.
245 First Street, Suite 1400
Cambridge, MA 02142

Driving Directions

+1 617.871.2098  phone
+1 617.871.2099  fax

Contact Us