Zura Bio names Sandeep Kulkarni as new chief executive officer

Zura Bio Limited (NASDAQ: ZURA) appointed Sandeep Kulkarni, M.D. as chief executive officer, effective January 21, 2026. Kulkarni will continue serving as a director of the clinical-stage biotechnology company.

Kulkarni succeeds Kim Davis, who served as interim CEO since October 2025 following the medical leave of absence by former CEO Robert Lisicki. Lisicki is resigning as CEO and director effective January 21, 2026. Davis will continue as chief operating officer, chief legal officer and corporate secretary.

The newly appointed CEO brings over 20 years of experience in biotechnology, investment, entrepreneurship and medicine. He most recently served as co-founder and CEO of Tourmaline Bio, which was acquired by Novartis in October 2025.

"Our lead program, tibulizumab, is the first- and only-in-class bispecific antibody blocking the IL-17 and BAFF pathways, each of which has been validated in multiple autoimmune diseases," Kulkarni stated in the press release.

Kulkarni has served on Zura's board of directors since the company's business combination and Nasdaq listing in March 2023. He previously held positions as managing director at KVP Capital and chief operating officer at Immunovant. He earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco.

Zura is developing treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The company's lead product candidate, tibulizumab, is currently being evaluated in two Phase 2 clinical studies: TibuSHIELD for hidradenitis suppurativa and TibuSURE for systemic sclerosis.

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