HAIFA, Israel, Feb. 5, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc. (PSTI) (TASE:PLTR), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies, today announced the appointments of two of its senior executives. These executive appointments support the Company’s growth and opportunities both on the clinical development front and with its big-pharma corporate partnerships. This comes at a time when Pluristem is advancing its cell therapies for numerous indications through global clinical trials.
Yaky Yanay has been promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Yanay joined Pluristem in 2006, serving as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer in charge of financial strategy. Since March of 2012, Mr. Yanay has also served as the Company’s Executive Vice President. Mr. Yanay is a member of the board of directors of Israel Advanced Technologies Industries, the largest umbrella organization in Israel for companies, organizations, and individuals in the high tech and life science sectors. Mr. Yanay holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in business administration and accounting, and he is a Certified Public Accountant in Israel.
Boaz Gur-Lavie has been appointed to the position of Chief Financial Officer and Secretary. Mr. Gur-Lavie recently joined Pluristem, serving as the Company’s Vice President of Finance. Prior to joining Pluristem, Mr. Gur-Lavie was CFO of Abbott Informatics Division, responsible for different Abbott informatics brands and STARLIMS, a global software organization which helps laboratories optimize data accessibility, integrity, defensibility and long-term value. Before that, he served as VP Finance of STARLIMS, a software company traded on the NASDAQ and Tel-Aviv stock exchange prior to being acquired by Abbott. Mr. Gur-Lavie previously served as assistant controller at ECI. Prior to which he served as a senior manager on the ERS team of Deloitte Israel. He has also served as a lecturer at Ben Gurion University. Mr. Gur-Lavie holds a master’s degree in finance and a bachelor’s degree in economy and accounting from the University of Ben-Gurion. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Israel.
“Both Yaky and Boaz bring tremendous value to the Company and these appointments are very well-deserved. Their proven leadership skills, their strategic choices and their implementation of operational goals will take Pluristem to the next level of achievement,” stated Zami Aberman, Chairman and CEO of Pluristem. “Our entire scientific, manufacturing, and operational team has done a phenomenal job of advancing our cell therapies to serve unmet medical needs.”
Yaky Yanay, Pluristem’s President and COO commented, “In the last year we were focused on building our manufacturing capabilities and our technology’s competitive advantages. Now, following the strengthening of our executive and management team, our Company is ready and set to meet the significant opportunities ahead for the benefit of our shareholders, business partners and our employees.”
