Strategies for a Sustainable Finance Function – Navigating Financial Process Evolution as Companies Mature

Join us for an inspiring talk by Justin Renz, a seasoned biotech Chief Financial Officer with a track record of success in both early-stage and established companies. In this lecture, Justin will share his unique insights on:

-Career advice and building a winning Finance team and culture in today’s dynamic environment: Gain valuable insights on fostering innovation and collaboration within a fast-paced biotech setting.

-Navigating the highs and lows of the biotech industry: Learn from his experiences at two companies acquired by larger players and his current role as CFO at Ardelyx, which has transitioned from a start-up to a two-product company within a year.

-The art of financial engineering in a pre-revenue environment: Discover how he strategized debt and equity raises to fuel Ardelyx’s growth before they started generating revenue.

Speaker:

Justin Renz has served as our Chief Financial & Operations Officer since 2023. Before that, Justin had served as our Chief Financial Officer since June 2020. Justin brings over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with an extensive array of financial and operational experience.

Prior to Ardelyx, Justin served as the president and chief financial officer of Correvio Pharma, a global specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the commercialization of cardiovascular and infectious disease products, where he led the sale of the company to ADVANZ PHARMA in May 2020. Prior to Correvio, Justin was executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Karyopharm Pharmaceuticals, where he led core business and finance functions and multiple financings. Before Karyopharm, Justin was executive vice president and chief financial officer at Zalicus Inc. (formerly CombinatoRx, Inc.), which he joined in 2006. At Zalicus, Justin oversaw multiple rounds of equity and debt financings, led the company’s asset monetization strategy and was instrumental in the reverse merger and sale of Zalicus to EPIRUS Biopharmaceuticals Inc. in July 2014. Earlier in his career, Justin held numerous positions of increasing responsibility at EMD Serono Inc., ArQule, Inc., Coley Pharmaceutical Group and Millipore Corporation.

Justin began his career with Arthur Andersen LLP in 1993. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Accounting from the College of the Holy Cross, a Master of Science in Taxation from Northeastern University and a Master of Business Administration from Suffolk University.