CDR-Life expands board of directors with Dieter Gericke

CDR-Life Inc., a biotherapeutics company developing tumor-specific immunotherapies based on a proprietary antibody platform, today announced the appointment of Dieter Gericke, a seasoned attorney and long-time corporate advisor to the life sciences industry, to its board of directors, effective May 17, 2021.

“With a reputation as a trusted counselor to both large and small pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies throughout Europe and globally, Dieter’s decades of relevant experience, including deep transactional expertise, make him a perfect addition to our board,” stated Dominik Escher, Executive Chairman of CDR-Life. “We look forward to leveraging his vast network and knowledge base within the areas of private equity investments, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and corporate governance, as we continue to execute on our strategic plan, including future potential financings and exit options.”

Mr. Gericke added, “CDR-Life has distinguished itself as a leading biotechnology company, using a novel and proprietary antibody fragment platform technology to develop a pipeline of oncology specific T cell engagers. I am honored to work with the executive team, who have an impressive track record of building companies as well as developing and commercializing new drugs.”

Mr. Gericke is a partner at Homburger AG, where, since 2014, he has served as head of the corporate/M&A practice team, and, since 2010, as head of the China focus group, counseling clients on public and private M&A, shareholder activism, equity capital markets including initial public offerings, private equity, and corporate governance matters, among others. During his tenure at the firm, which he joined in 2000, Mr. Gericke was also co-head of the capital markets team.

Among Mr. Gericke’s most recent assignments are the takeover of Syngenta by ChemChina; the sale of Therachon to Pfizer; the sale of PPF's shares in NBE-Therapeutics to Boehringer Ingelheim, the IPOs of ADC Therapeutics and Zur Rose Group; and share issuances by Basilea Pharmaceutica, Molecular Partners, Santhera Pharmaceuticals and AC Immune.

During his career, Mr. Gericke has authored various publications and chaired a number of panels, including relating to public and private M&A, securities laws, and corporate governance. He is a member of the Corporate and M&A Committee and member and former vice-chair of the Securities Law Committee of the International Bar Association. Mr. Gericke is also a board member of Gericke Group, a producer of powder-processing equipment and systems for the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries; and is a former board member of Syngenta AG, a leading agrotechnology group.

Mr. Gericke holds a law degree and doctorate from the University of Zurich and earned an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.