PIR International supports appointment of Chief Executive Officer at Anaveon

PIR International partnered with Anaveon, a late-stage preclinical biotech focused on reprogramming the immune system with precision biologics, in the appointment of Thaminda Ramanayake as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Ramanayake brings over 20 years of global biopharmaceutical leadership experience, with a strong track record in business development, strategic transactions, and advancing innovative therapeutics. Most recently, as Chief Business Officer at CureVac, he played a key role in the company’s transformation and its acquisition by BioNTech in 2025. He previously held senior business development and strategy roles at Sanofi, Affini-T Therapeutics, BioMarin, and Amgen, leading partnerships, licensing, and M&A initiatives. He holds an M.S. in Immunology and an MBA from the University of Rochester, New York.

Dieter Weinand, Chair of the Anaveon Board of Directors, said:

Thaminda is a proven leader with deep strategic and transaction expertise. His ability to build and position companies for value creation makes him ideally suited to lead Anaveon as we advance our immunology pipeline toward the clinic. As we sharpen our focus on immunology, we are confident that Thaminda’s leadership will accelerate our ambition to become a premier immunology company based in Switzerland.

Mr. Ramanayake said:

It is an honor and an exciting challenge to serve as the next Chief Executive Officer of Anaveon. Anaveon is developing new ways to precisely control T cells to address significant unmet needs in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. With promising data across our growing pipeline, including our lead asset ANV200, as a best-in-class candidate for robust depletion of pathogenic T cells, we have tremendous opportunities to make a meaningful difference for patients. I look forward to partnering with the team to drive this next phase of growth and innovation.

Christoph Huber, Chief Science Officer, added:

Building on our strong scientific expertise, we are well positioned to translate these advances into differentiated therapies and drive the company’s next phase of growth. We look forward to working with Thaminda to deliver impactful therapies for patients.

Commenting on PIR International’s partnership in his appointment:

It is an honor and an exciting challenge to serve as the next Chief Executive Officer of Anaveon,” said Mr. Ramanayake. “Throughout the selection process, PIR International demonstrated a strong understanding of the biotech landscape and the leadership capabilities required to drive innovation. Their thoughtful, professional, and well-structured approach made the experience highly engaging and efficient. I look forward to building on this strong foundation as we advance Anaveon’s mission to develop transformative therapies for patients.