Incyte Elevates Deal-Maker Bill Meury to CEO as Hoppenot Steps Down

Incyte Corp. said it has appointed Bill Meury as chief executive officer, effective immediately, succeeding Hervé Hoppenot, who will retire after a decade at the helm of the Wilmington, Delaware-based biotechnology company. Meury has developed a reputation for steering companies into high-value takeovers. He led Anthos Therapeutics prior to its acquisition by Novartis and earlier ran Karuna Therapeutics when it was bought by Bristol Myers Squibb. His track record positions him to guide Incyte as it seeks to reinvigorate growth in oncology and immunology drug development. Alongside the leadership change, Julian Baker—Incyte’s largest shareholder through Baker Bros. Advisors—was named chairman of the board. Incyte shares rose about 5% in pre-market trading after the announcement on Thursday.